Vampire Diaries, Season 3 Rewrite
by danny1993
Summary: This is how I think The Vampire Diaries season 3 should have gone. The story will essentially be the same with a few minor changes early on, then some bigger ones later in the story. This is not a Elena/Kol romance story, Elena is the shows protaganist and Kol is going to be a bigger role than in the actual show. Some OC's coming soon too that will benefit my story. Read & Review
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Ordinary People**

Elena and Alaric enter the Old Lockwood Cellar. It was cold and dark, with only a little light coming from the end of two flashlights, one held by Elena, the other by Alaric. Elena felt a little out of her comfort zone, even by her standards.

"So the Lockwood's really have no idea that these tunnels are underneath their property?" Elena questioned.

"Careful where you shine that thing." Ric said, pointing to Elena's flashlight. "Bats hate the light." Elena stopped dead in her tracks and her eyes bulged.

"Wait, what?" Elena didn't notice that something was coming up behind her. Damon. Damon crept up behind the doppelganger and scared Elena by whispering her name in a low voice, sending chills down the girls spine, and making her jump in fear.

"Ah! God Damon!" Elena said, slapping the older Salvatore.

Damon let out a low chuckle and said "Scaredy-cat."

Alaric sent Damon an angry look and looked at Elena "Just ignore him. That's what I do."

"So you really can't get in?" Elena asked Damon.

"No. Seems to me like the ancient Lockwood's were anti-vampire."

"What do you mean, ancient?"

"See for yourself." Damon said, pointing in the cave.

Ric Damon and Elena walked further into the tunnels, to the caves with the writings. Damon stopped dead.

"Well this is as far as I get to go."

"What is all this?" Elena said as she looked at the ancient writings on the wall. She had no idea what they meant.

"Well, as far as I can tell, it's a story. In simple, archaeological terms, it's a really, really old story. That right there, is the moon cycle. A man, a wolf."

"A werewolf?"

"Yeah, it's the Lockwood diaries. Pictionary style." Damon said sarcastically.

"I don't understand. I thought the Lockwood's came here with the original founders in the 1860s."

"I don't know. Maybe the Lockwood's did, but according to this wall, these werewolves have been here a lot longer than that." Ric said.

Elena looked at her teacher "How long?"

"Long. It gets better. Show her, Ric."

"Names. They're not native. They're written in Runic, a Viking script."

"Vikings?" Elena said in disbelief. Vikings in Mystic Falls? Well that was different.

"This name here," Alaric pointed to one of the markings "I translated it and it reads Niklaus." Ric said knowingly.

"Klaus?" Ric nodded and pointed to another one.

"And Elijah…" Pointing to a third. "And Rebekah.

*Flashback to an ancient time, Rebekah, stood there in a dark green/brown dress, her hair long and hanging, scratched her name on the cave wall with a knife, she was being watched carefully by her older brother, Klaus, who was standing in old clothes, obviously hand-me-downs and his hair long and straggly, who was standing next to her. "Rebekah, let me have at it!"

"Quiet, Niklaus!" Rebekah snapped. "Ought to have more concentration if I'm not to slice off a finger."

"Father will not like you handling the blade."

Rebekah laughed and looked at her brother, "If I want to wield a blade, I shall wield a blade! Father need not know."

"He will find out. He always does."

Rebekah laughed again. "That is because you always tell him."

"I cannot help it, he frightens me."

"He frightens us all. That is why we stick together as one, always and forever. Right, traitor?" Rebekah said, jokingly to her brother.

Klaus nodded his head. "Right."

"Here." Rebekah began "You finish it and I'll help mother with the meal."

"Yes. Go tend to dinner, leave the blades to the men, little sister." Klaus said, knowing comments like that enraged his younger sibling. Rebekah smirked, and gave him the blade, and not too gently either, she slammed it into his palm, leaving a cut. Klaus winced in pain. "That girl infuriates me" Klaus thought to himself but didn't say. Instead he just growled out "Rebekah!"

"It's just a little blood Niklaus." She smirked again "Be a man about it." She said as she left the cave.

*Back to present time*

Elena was still looking at the names on the wall "These are the names of the original family?"

Alaric nodded his head "Carved into a cave that's been here since way before the founding of Mystic Falls. Or even the entire New World for that matter."

"Okay, this has gotta be one of Klaus's fakes."

"That's what I said." Damon chimed in from outside the entrance.

"That could be true, except the last name up here made us think otherwise."

"What's the name?"

"Mikael."

Elena's eyes went wide as they could have gone without her looking like a Disney character. "Mikael. Mikael as in the vampire hunter who knows how to kill Klaus?"

"Yep. And I like to call him "papa original"." Damon said sarcastically again.

Alaric began to take photos of the drawings, so that he could better study them.

Later that day, at Alaric's Apartment, Alaric was looking at the photos, while Damon and Elena were training for vampire combat.

"These images tell a story... To learn the story, I have to decipher these images." Damon easily disarms Elena, who tries to stake him, without any effort.

"Sloppy!"

Elena grabbed the stake and said "Shut up! I'm new at this."

""Ghost of Christmas Past" Mason Lockwood set up the cave and lead us to a weapon that can kill Klaus." Damon said.

Elena nodded and said "Yeah, but doesn't Mikael have a weapon?

"Yes. Which probably means the wall will lead us to Mikael, who we have already found and lost." Damon overwhelmed Elena again. "Bang! You're dead!" Damon pretended to bite her neck. But Elena pushed him off of her.

"These images at the very least might tell us what that weapon is."

Elena walked over to the table "Then all we have to do is find out what they mean."

"Fine! Fine! If I am being irritatingly optimistic like you two. How do we supposed to do that?"

Elena ignoring Damon's sarcasm, looks at Alaric and speaks "Well, if the story is about the original family living here... then we go straight to the source."

At Mystic Falls High School, Rebekah was at cheerleading practice. She was doing back-flips galore when Elena showed up and motioned to get Rebekah to come over to her.

Rebekah sighed and rolled her eyes, "You! Goody!"

Elena took a deep breath and began "I was hoping we could talk."

Rebekah became very suspicious "About what? Stefan? Don't worry - I'm off him until he starts treating me better. In fact, you should probably take a page out of my book, if I'm being honest."

Elena smirked, "Actually, I'd rather talk about this." Elena puts her hand into her coat and pulls out the photo of Rebekah's name written in runic. "I'm curious why you and Klaus have spent a thousand years running from your father."

Rebekah became nervous. "I should get back to the girls. Homecoming's right around the corner." Rebekah turned and began walking quickly back to her girls.

Elena, not wanting to give up, said "Well then maybe I'll ask Mikael when we wake him." Rebekah froze and turned around.

"You're bluffing! You don't know where he is. No one does."

"So then who's rotting in that old cemetery in Charlotte?"

"If you wake Mikael we are all doomed!" Elena could tell the vampire was scared, which was funny considering Rebekah is over a thousand years old. Fear should be laughable to her by now.

"So then tell me."

"W-Why do you want to know?"

"Why don't you want me to wake him?" Rebekah's eyes blazed with hatred and anger. She took a deep breath and said;

"I need to get back to the girls." Rebekah turned and left Elena standing there, not knowing anymore than she did before their little confrontation.

*Flashback to ancient times*

Rebekah turned around to two males, both with long, dark hair, however one looked older than Rebekah whilst the other looked around the age of 12 or 13. "Come on, Kol, Henrik, our brothers are fighting again."

Klaus and Elijah were in the middle of a sword fight, both looked evenly matched for one another.

Elijah smirked when he heard his sister's voice "Oh look, our sister has arrived." He turned and looked at his siblings standing there watching the battle "Watch my fast approaching victory."

Klaus scoffed "On the contrary, Elijah" He said as he cut Elijah's belt in two "Just come to laugh at you."

Esther and Mikael walked out of their home and watched "Relax Mikael. Niklaus means well."

Mikael shook his head "That is precisely my problem." He walked over and took Elijah's sword from his hands and turned to Klaus "So, why don't you teach me that trick, young warrior?" He began to fight with Klaus.

"Father, we were just amusing ourselves." Klaus said, not wanting to fight a great warrior like Mikael.

Mikael scoffed again "We fight for our survival! And you find time for amusement?! I want to be amused! Teach me! Come on!"

"Father it was nothing…"

Mikael quickly disarmed Klaus without effort and brought him down; he set the sword on Klaus's throat, all of the family running forward slightly.

"You are foolish and impulsive, my boy." He paused to see if Niklaus would answer him "What? No more laughter?"

"You've made your point, Mikael!" Esther yelled.

Mikael dropped the sword into the ground, next to Klaus' head. Mikael began to walk away from his son "Some days it's a miracle you're still alive, boy."

Alaric is looking at the photos. He writes "vampire" on a post-it note and places it on one of the pictures. He picks up another picture and compares it to the one he just stuck the post-it note "vampire" on. He sees that the other picture looks more like a sun, so he switches the "vampire" post it to the other picture and writes "werewolf" on another post it and places it on the other picture.)

Back at Alaric's Apartment, Elena was on the phone to Damon. She walked up the stairs to Alaric's place.

"She's going to tell me. She is scared of him, Damon. I saw her face. I just have to engage in a little mean girl power struggle first."

"Make sure she doesn't power struggle you into a wheelchair." Damon said dryly.

Elena sighed "I've got this, Damon. If we can figure out a way to kill Klaus, Stefan will be free of his compulsion. So, how does he look?"

Damon was down in the cellar, looking into Stefan's cell. His brother was still tied to the chair that Lexi had tied him to. He didn't look very good at all. "Hmm- pasty and pouty."

"He'll have to get over. Call me later." She hung up the phone "Rebekah will come 'round." Elena said to Alaric.

"You're sure about that? I mean a thousand year old vampire, I'm sure, is not in the art of patience." while Alaric spoke, Elena received a message saying: "Come over for a chat. Rebekah"

"She's a thousand year old vampire, who's joined the cheerleader squad... There is a whole different set of rules that play here, Ric. I got this" Elena showed Ric the message. They exchanged a look.

Damon entered Stefan's cell, Stefan, aware of Damon's arrival, didn't look up at his brother when he spoke.

"You know, if you two are gonna keep me locked in here for the next decade. I think we can skip the routine visits."

"You know I'm not a big champion in this whole Lexi-recovery-plan. When Elena thinks this place is gonna weaken you out, break you down and make you feel again…"

"We should all listen to Elena, right? I mean her plans always work out so well, don't they? Why are you here?" Stefan said sarcastically.

Damon put on a childish voice as he patronized his brother, "What are you talking about? It's family day out of vampire rehab. So I'm paying visit to my baby brother."

Stefan shook his head and looked at Damon "Go away."

Damon shook his head too. "Naah- Thought we could hang out, old brother bonding. How've you been Stef?"

" You know, Klaus may wanna keep Elena alive, but that doesn't mean she's safe with Rebekah."

"Liar, Liar pants on fire, brother. Klaus compelled you to protect Elena and if you thought for even a second that she was in danger you'd be working a lot harder."

"Got me."

"Yep."

"Ya got me. You're good. Congratulations! You can go now." Stefan said with no expression on his face whatsoever.

"You really have given up."

"Actually, this is my happy face…" Damon snapped the restraints that held his brother, freeing Stefan from the chains. "What are you doing?"

"Screw this Lexi-plan. Think we could both use a drink."

At the Salvatore Boarding House, Elena walked through the house, looking for the blonde original who had invited her over. Elena walked into the living room, spotting Rebekah standing there. Elena cleared her throat.

Rebekah turned around holding champagne glasses "Hey! What's up?"

Elena raised an eyebrow, "You invited me over? To talk?"

Rebekah nodded then turned away from the doppelganger "All right girls, have at it!" Girls in homecoming dresses appeared. "Okay, now twirl please."

"You compelled your own private runway show?" Elena said in disbelief.

Rebekah nodded "I need a Homecoming dress. So, what do you think? Pick one."

"I'm not here to help you shop. I'm here to talk about why you don't want me to wake up Mikael." Rebekah rushed to one of the girls, grabbing her neck and her fangs lengthened and her eyes became blood red.

"I said "pick one", Elena."

Elena looked at the dresses in distress, she spotted a pretty, red one, "The... red one."

"There. It wasn't so hard, was it?" Elena shook her head as the Original turned and looked at her models "Go away. Remember nothing." The girls left and Rebekah turned to Elena, again "You do not threaten me. You'll learn what I allow you to learn. Is that clear?" Elena nodded in fear. She might not want to admit it, but Elena was scared of the Vampire. Rebekah walked past her and Elena watched her.

Over Alaric's Apartment, somebody knocked on Alaric's door; The door opened and in walked Bonnie. Alaric turned and looked at the witch.

"Hey there!" Bonnie said as she walked in the apartment.

"Bonnie! Come on in!"

"Got your message."

"Yeah, great! I'm sorry the place is such a mess. I'm obsessed…"

Bonnie held up Elena's necklace, showing it to Alaric "Brought you the necklace that wouldn't die."

"Ahh- that's great. You okay?" Ric said, obviously referring to Bonnie's recently failed relationship with Jeremy Gilbert.

"Been better…"

"Listen, Jeremy is an idiot. I know this with certainty, because I was once a Jeremy. Trust me, he'll learn...Eventually…" Alaric held up one of the photos, "So, I've been staring at this image all day, wondering why it looked so familiar. I was right." He held up the necklace next to the photo. Bonnie's eyes went wide.

"It is the same design."

"So, your grandmother said this necklace belonged to the witch that put the hybrid curse on Klaus, right?" Bonnie nodded. "Well, this symbol is repeated all across the wall. I've been trying to figure out what it meant. And now I know…" He wrote something on a post-it, stuck it to the photo and showed Bonnie: the post-it said "witch.".

Back at the Salvatore Boarding House Rebekah and Elena entered Stefan's room.

"How fun is this...?" Rebekah said as she started opening the drawers.

"We shouldn't be here…"

"Course we should! Come on, like you've never wanted to snoop. Boxer briefs. A lot has changed from the twenties."

Elena was beginning to come to the end of her tether with Rebekah's procrastinating "Are you gonna root through his stuff all night or are you gonna start to tell me your story?"

Rebekah rolled her eyes and sighed "Ah... you really are no fun. What do you want to know?"

"Well, Elijah said that your father was a landowner in Europe. How did you guys end up here?"

Rebekah was still going through Stefan's stuff "My parents had just started a family, when a plague struck their homeland. They lost a child to it. They wanted to escape and protect their future family from the same fate."

"So, how did you end up here? This part of the world hadn't even been discovered yet."

"Not by anyone in your history books. But my mother knew the witch Ayanna, who heard from the spirits of a mystical land where everyone was healthy. Blessed by the gifts of speed and strength; that lead my family here, where we lived amongst those people."

Elena raised her brows "The werewolves?"

Rebekah nodded "To us they were just our neighboures. My family lived in peace with them for over 20 years, during which time my family had more children, including me."

"You make it sound so normal."

"It was." Rebekah said, her voice full of sorrow. "Once a month our family retreated into the caves beneath our village. The wolves would howl through the night and by morning we'd return home…"

Flashback to ancient times, Rebekah was looking at different sorts of necklaces/talismans hanging on a rope in Ayanna 's home; she touched one, Esther's necklace, and burned her fingers.

Rebekah groaned in pain. "Ayanna, it burned me!" A tall African woman walked into the room.

Ayanna smirked "That is not yours to touch." Rebekah opened her mouth to speak when she was cut off by a loud scream coming from outside the hut.

"Mother!" Klaus screamed, in terror.

Rebekah looked at Ayanna. "Is that Niklaus? Something is wrong."

Rebekah ran out of the hut seeing Klaus carrying the dead body of their little brother Henrik.

Rebekah's eyes went wide as could be as tears began pouring from her ducts. "Henrik!"

"Mother!" Klaus screamed again. *back to the present, Rebekah was sitting on Stefan's bed.

"One full moon, Klaus and my youngest brother Henrik snuck out to watch the men turn into beasts. That was forbidden. Henrik payed the price…" *Flashback to ancient times, Esther, Kol and Finn ran from their hut outside, to where the others were.

"No, no! What happened?"

Klaus sobbed out "The wolves! I am sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Esther wiped her eyes "We must save him. Please, there must be a way!"

Ayanna shook her head "The spirits will not give us a way, Esther. Your boy is gone."

"No! No!" Esther screamed, falling into the arms of her son, Finn. Kol looked at Niklaus and Rebekah, eyes full of tears threatening to fall.

*Back to Stefan's room, "And that was the beginning of the end of peace with our neighbours…And one of the last moments my family had together as humans." Elena's phone began to ring loudly. "You better get that. That'll be Damon checking up on you." Elena nodded as she answered her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey!"

"Damon, where are you?"

Damon was in a bar; the music playing loudly in the background.

"No idea," Damon said as he turned around, seeing a girl walking around the bar in a skimpy outfit, that barely covered anything "but I'm pretty sure, I'm overdressed...Still standing?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but I can't talk right now."

"I'll be at the bar." Stefan said to Damon, and Elena's eyes went incredibly wide.

"Is that Stefan?"

"Yeah, I kinda went off a bit. Don't worry - I know what I'm doing."

"Damon! How could you let him out?"

"I got his back, Elena." Damon said as he hung up on Elena "What are we drinking?"

"For me something a little bit warmer, a little blonder…" Stefan said, nodding to the blonde barmaid.

"Hi!" Said the barmaid, Callie.

"Hello…" Damon said, looking at her nametag: "Callie. I would love a shot of your best whiskey and my brother here would love…" Damon began to compel her "…a shot of you."

"What's the catch, Damon?" Stefan said, his voice full of accusation.

Damon shook his head "No catch, brother. Drink up. It's on me." motioning to Callie. Stefan grabbed Callie's wrist and bit her. Hard.

"Hi Callie." Later on, Damon and Stefan were playing quarters; Callie was sitting on Damon's lap.

Stefan flipped a coin into the glass "Drink up brother!"

Damon held up an empty whiskey bottle to Callie. "You get us a bottle of this?"

Callie nodded "Yes, sir." she left the brothers.

"You been on this "bunny diet" for a better part of 50 years. So, how is it that "Saint Stefan" of all people is good at a drinking game?"

"Oh "bunny diet" gave me a lot of time to practice."

"Hmm…" Damon nodded, not completely knowing what Stefan meant.

"Wallow in despair," Stefan flipped a coin, "drowning guilt," he flipped another coin, "regret my existence" he flipped a third coin "it's precision born out of tragic boredom. Drink up, brother!"

Damon smirked "All that effort wasted to try to tell you how boring you were and now you finally agree with me?"

Stefan sighed "Damon, you are worse than Elena. Getting me drunk, brotherly bonding - what do you think: I'll break down and you can call me back from the edge, is that it?"

"I happen to like the edge, Stefan. Your problem is your inability to resist falling over it. All or nothing, man. Can't just be." Callie came back with another bottle of whiskey, she sat down on Damon's lap again. "Although, who am I to judge?" he flipped a coin, "Drink up brother!"

At the Salvatore Boarding House, Rebekah was lying on the bed, going through one of Stefan's diaries.

"Did you get your fill of snooping yet? Can we get on with the story?" Elena said, boredom evident in her voice. Rebekah got up; she picked up a photo of Elena and Stefan from a table.

Rebekah turned to Elena. "Honestly, I don't get you two as a couple."

"Why would you? You don't know anything about who he really is."

Rebekah nodded with a smirk "I know exactly who he is. He's a vampire. We're a predatory species. We don't have time to care about humans and their silly little lives."

"Is that why you did that runway show earlier? 'Cause you don't care about the Homecoming Dance…" Elena said, but Rebekah just looked at her. "You know what, I'm just gonna go."

"You haven't even heard half the story."

"And you are not going to tell it. You're just bored and looking for someone to push around. Find someone else to play with! Maybe you can compel yourself a friend." Elena started to leave.

"The necklace wasn't Stefan's to give. It belonged to the original witch."

"The one who put the hybrid curse on Klaus?" Elena said turning around to Rebekah.

"Not just the hybrid curse." Rebekah started. "She's the one who turned us into vampires."

*Flashback to ancient times; Mikael; Esther and Ayanna were standing in a room lit by a fire and torches. It was evident that Esther had been crying, her eyes were puffy and red.

"Please, Ayanna! I implore you! You must call upon the spirits before the next full moon." Mikael begged.

"I will not! It is a crime against nature."

"Ayanna, we have already lost too much. We cannot lose any more... The spirits can help us find a way to protect our children." Esther said, her voice trembling as she spoke. Rebakah was eavesdropping from the next room, with her brother Kol standing behind her listening too.

*Back in Stefan's room , Rebekah looked at Elena "I'm thirsty. Do you want a drink?"

She walked down to the library with Elena closely behind her.

"So, vampirism was a form of protection?"

"What else would it be?"

"A curse." Elena said in a matter-of-factly.

"My parents only saw a way of keeping their children alive."

"Yeah, but why stay if they were so afraid of the werewolves? Why not... Leave?"

Rebekah shook her head "Pride... My father didn't want to run anymore. He wanted to fight and be superior to the wolves. Where they could bite we had to bite harder. Where they had speed we had to be faster. Agility, strength, senses…"

*Back to ancient times; in the hut again.

"Everything could be heightened. Our family could live forever…" Mikael said as though he knew what to do, even though he knew very little of magic.

"That would cost. This magic you speak of breeds consequence. This is the makings of a plague, Esther. The spirits will turn on you." Ayanna warned.

"Please, Ayanna."

"I will have no part in it." Ayanna said as she left the hut, leaving Esther and Mikael standing.

Mikael turned to Esther "As she will not protect our family, then it is in your hands alone, my love."

*Back to Elena and Rebekah at the Boarding House.

"In her hands? How could she do anything?"

"Because my mother was also a witch." Rebekah said dryly.

"What?"

"The witch of the original family. The original witch." Rebekah said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. They entered the library. Rebekah turned to Elena "Where do they keep their best vintage?"

"But if your mother was a witch, then…"

" Am I? No, a witch is nature's servant, a vampire is an abomination of nature. You can either be one or the other, never both. My mother did this for us. She did not turn."

"How did you turn?"

"She called upon the sun for life and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects, for immortality. That night my father offered us wine laced with blood. And then he drove his sword through our hearts."

"He killed you?"

"And he wasn't delicate about it either." Rebekah proclaimed as she took a bottle of wine, broke its neck and threw it into the fireplace.

*Back to ancient times; the night when Mikael turned his family; Finn, Kol, Klaus and Rebekah were on the floor, blood on their clothes where their hearts are located; all were in the process of turning into vampires.

"Rebekah…" Klaus moaned in pain, noticing his sister hadn't regained consciousness yet. He looked to Kol and Finn.

"She'll awaken soon brother" Finn said, in deep pain as he spoke. It hurt him to simply breathe.

"What if she doesn't?" Kol asked as Rebekah shot up in agony, she gasped loudly.

"Blood! What happened?"

"You will be alright! We will be alright."

Mikael entered with a girl. "What are you doing? We must finish what we started! You have to drink if you want to live." He cut the girl's wrists open.

*Back to the present, the Salvatore boarding house was quiet. Except for Rebekah and Elena in the library.

"We had to drink more blood to complete the ritual." *flashback to ancient times.

Mikael grabbed the girl towards Rebekah "Drink!" Rebekah hesitated "Drink!" Mikael yelled. Klaus tried to stop him, but Mikael pushed him aside; Rebekah started to drink the girl's blood"

Rebekah in the future continued telling her story, imagining everything she said as she said it. "It was euphoric! The feeling of power was indescribable. But the witch Ayanna was right about the consequences. The spirits turned on us and nature fought back... For every strength there would be a weakness…" She imagined herself in ancient times getting burned by sunlight. "The sun became our enemy. It kept us indoors for weeks…" Rebekah imagined herself walking around outside during the day. "Until my mother found a solution. There were other problems" she remembered people hurrying into their houses when seeing her. "Neighbours who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out." Rebekah remembered touching a vervain plant and getting burned by it. "Flowers at the base of the white oak burned and prevented compulsion. "And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away. So we burned it to the ground" she remembered the tree burning; Kol, Finn, Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah were watching it. "But the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated" she said as she remembered villagers carrying a slaughtered still bleeding pig. "The hunger. Blood... had made us reborn and it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it…" She remembered looking after the villagers; she gasped; then hurried to them and killed them by drinking their blood. "And with that the predatory species was born…"

Back at the bar where Stefan and Damon were. Damon was dancing on a table with two girls. Stefan was drinking from a woman. Another woman stopped and sees what Stefan was doing. Damon showed up and compelled the woman.

"Nothing to see here!" The woman nodded and left "Just run along, okay?" Damon turned to Stefan "Hey, hey ease up! Ease up." He dragged Stefan away. "She is giving us her employee discount." he looked at Callie and compelled her "And now, just run along."

They went to the bar and sat down and ordered drinks.

"Alright! Tell me what's up. What's the point of the jailbreak, hm?"

"I thought you could use a hug, Stefan." Damon said with a faux pout.

"Come on, Damon. You know Elena is gonna hate you for letting me out. And we both know that you care about what she thinks…"

"Maybe I wanted to remind you what freedom was like before Klaus took it from you."

"As long as Klaus is alive, I do what he says."

"That's my point, Stefan. You've given up. Now you could sit around and be his little bitch. Or you get mad enough and you can do something about it."

"Damon, he can't be killed." Stefan yelled as a man came up behind them.

"Maybe I can help with that. The Salvatore boys, I presume?"

"Mikael?" Stefan said, not knowing fully what the answer might be.

At the Salvatore Boarding House, Elena and Rebekah were sitting in the living room.

"Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?"

"When Nik made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf gene. With that he became my father's greatest shame."

"Yeah - Elijah told me this part of the story. Your mother had had an affair with one of the werewolf villagers. Klaus wasn't his son."

"She tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side and then she turned her back on him. But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home and killed her."

"Mikael killed your mother?"

"He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched." Rebekah remembers that she, Kol and Klaus buried their mother. "Afterwards my father took off in a rage and the rest of my family scattered. My brother Kol and Nik stayed so they could help me bury her. He knew I had to say goodbye to my mother."

*flashback to Esther's funeral, Kol, Rebekah and Klaus were standing at the grave.

"I know you think she hated you, Niklaus. But she did not. She was just afraid. I'm sorry she turned her back on you. I will never do that."

"Nor will I." Kol said sadly.

"Nor will I" A voice came from behind them, Rebekah turned around, seeing her eldest brother, Elijah walking towards them.

"We stick together as one. Always and forever." Rebekah said, teary-eyed.

Rebekah, Klaus, Kol and Elijah all hold hands as Rebekah spoke.

*Back to the Salvatore house.

"Always and forever. Even though he locked you in a coffin for 90 years?"

"We're vampires. Our emotions are heightened. I'm stubborn, Kol unstable, Elijah moral, and Nik... Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him. Over a thousand years as a family we've all made that mistake at least once. I've made it several times."

"But you still love him?"

"He's my brother. And I'm immortal. Should I spend an eternity alone instead? You've heard the story, it's time to go. I said leave, Elena! I don't know what you're up to but I'm no longer playing along."

"I'm just looking for one good reason why we shouldn't wake Mikael."

"And I've given you a thousand! But you will anyway. I know you want him to help you kill my brother, I'm not stupid."

"It's no secret that I want Klaus dead. He has a hold over Stefan's life and over mine."

"Do what you need. Wake Mikael at your own peril. But make no mistake, if you come after my brother I will rip you apart. And I get my temper from my father. Now leave!"

Back in the bar; Mikael was interrogating Stefan whilst Damon watched on. "Is Klaus out of the country?"

"Can't tell you."

"Has he spoken to you since he left?"

"I can't tell you."

"All right. Can you tell me the last time you spoke to Niklaus?"

"I'm compelled to do what he says and he says to keep my damn mouth shut."

"I really hope this game of 20 questions isn't your secret weapon."

"You see, Damon" Mikael said as he put his hand on Damon's shoulder, "I've been a vampire hunter longer than you've been alive. It's why I found you here. It's why I'm gonna find Niklaus."

"Well, Klaus has been running for about thousand years, so if you think you can get a work around here?"

Mikael eyes narrow in anger as he slammed his fist into Damon's chest.

"Careful, Stefan. One move - and his heart's gone. Now, where is Klaus? What's the trick question, Stefan? One twist and he's dead. Unless you don't care of course."

"His emotions have been shut off. He can't care."

"Really? His link to Klaus is so strong that he will let his own brother die? No ideas, hmm?" Stefan wanted to tell Mikael the truth, but Klaus' compulsion was too strong. "Think, Stefan! I guess you're right. He's a dead end. And so are you, Damon."

Stefan grabbed Mikael's arm "Wait. I can bring him back. I can lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls." Mikael removes his hand from Damon's chest.

"And there is our loophole. Just had to rile him up a bit. Get Klaus back to Mystic Falls and I will gladly drive a stake through his heart. Fail, I'll drive it through yours."

Alaric, Bonnie and Elena were in the cave with the drawings.

"We filled in what we could." He began to stick post-its to the different symbols "a Vampire, werewolf, slaughter, mayhem etc."

"That's the white oak tree that was used in the spell to create the vampires, which means that was when they burned down the tree, destroying the only way that they could be killed."

"Ok. so tree equals weapon, sort of. We already knew that. What we are not sure about is this: we've got the witch symbol and what looks like a bleeding heart. Upside down figures usually signified death, of some kind."

"Mikael killed the witch by ripping out her heart. But... why is that one connected to the witch's death?" pointing to one symbol.

"We don't know. We haven't gotten that far." Bonnie said as Elena's eyes went wide.

"Oh my god. Rebekah doesn't know the real story."

Later that night, at the Salvatore Boarding House, Rebekah was pouring herself a glass of scotch. Elena walked in the room with photos of the cave drawings.

"I thought I told you to leave. Twice."

"How do you know that Mikael killed your mother?" Elena asked angrily.

"Nik was there. He told me." Rebekah said dryly.

"He lied to you."

"And how do you know that?" Rebekah said in a patronizing voice.

"The cave where you carved your family's names is covered in symbols." Elena said as she showed Rebekah the photos "The story of your family: how your parents arrived, how they made peace, the spell that turned them into vampires, and this. This is the symbol for hybrid. It's a combination of the werewolf and the vampire symbol. And this is the one for your mother."

"Her necklace?"

"And this is the story of her death. The hybrid killed the original witch. Not Mikael. Klaus."

Rebekah's eyes went wide and she began to vamp out. "No! No, he wouldn't."

"She put the curse on him. Made it so that he would be the only one of his kind. And then she rejected him. With the werewolf gene comes aggression and violence. When he turned, all of that was heightened. He killed her, Rebekah. And then he made up this entire lie about your father, so that he wouldn't lose you."

"These mean nothing! They're just stupid drawings, done by stupid people who had no idea who my family was!"

Rebekah grabbed the photos and threw them into the open fire. Her eyes beginning to water.

"Then why are you so upset?"

Rebekah began to sob "Why are you doing this to me? I've done nothing to you!"

"Klaus killed your mother. He has a hold on you, on me, on everyone. He has for a thousand years. We have to make it stop!"

Rebekah growled and used her vampire speed and grabbed Elena by the throat, choking her. "Shut up! Shut up! Don't talk anymore! Nothing!" She let go of Elena, falling on her knees and started crying uncontrollably.

Outside the bar, Damon and Stefan were walking out.

"I'll give you 10 points for flair." Damon said sarcastically.

"At least, now we know where Klaus and Elijah learned their tricks from." Stefan said back at his brother.

"Don't think you had to wait till the last second to have your breakthrough, though."

"I didn't have a break through, Damon."

"Uuuuh, uuuh- my brother is about to die and I just had to save his life for the bajillionith time. Careful Stefan, your humanity is showing."

"So you know what? You're right, Damon. You're right. You reminded me what my freedom felt like. And when we kill Klaus, I'll be free. Free to leave. See, I didn't do this for you, Damon. I did it for myself."

"Sure, Stefan. Whatever you say…"

"Why are you doing this, huh? What do you want from me? Why is everybody trying to save me?"

"Because I have to, Stefan! Because you are in this mess with Klaus, because you saved my life. Because I owe you. And I can't just leave you in a cell to rot."

"Aw, better be careful, brother. Your humanity is showing." Stefan said to Damon, repeating Damon's own words. Smirking, Damon punched Stefan on the face and left.

At Salvatore Boarding House, Rebekah was still crying bitterly. At the Gilbert House, Elena came out of the bathroom in her pyjamas ; she saw Damon lying on her bed.

"Uh- Damon! Seriously?"

"We got Mikael."

"What? How?"

"No idea. I guess Katherine came through. Plan's in motion. See, I told you I had it. Go ahead. Kick, yell, scream. Sure you've been planning your rant all day."

"I'm not gonna yell at you."

"Why not? I went behind you back. Freed Stefan. And you know what: it backfired. He's an even bigger dick than ever. Just now he's a dick that's on our side."

"I'm not mad. I'm tired. I just- I want to go to bed."

"You know, I think Mikael's weapon is a stake, 'cause he mentioned something about it."

Elena got into her bed. Damon was still laying there with her.

"Well, they must have carved it from the white oak tree before they burned it down."

"So I was right. After all that, the wall lead us to Mikael."

"Lead us to more than just that. I think I got Rebekah on our side, too."

"Really? What 'd you learn from her?"

"I learned, that she's just a girl. That she lost her mom too young and she loves blindly and recklessly, even if it consumes her. And when it's all said and done there's nothing more important than the bond of family."

Damon turned to face her.

"Well, you should tell that to my brother."

"I'm not mad at you for letting him out, Damon. I think that you're gonna be the one to save him from himself. It won't be because he loves me, it'll be because he loves you. Can I tell you the rest tomorrow?"

"Sure." Elena closed her eyes. Damon looked at her, lovingly.

Somewhere outside Mystic Falls, A large truck pulled up and the doors opened as the driver climbed out and walked out to the back. He opened the shutter and saw a man sitting there. Klaus.

"You know, it's been a while since I've seen him, it'll be interesting." Said Niklaus.

"What do you mean?" Asked the man.

"You'll find out in a few minutes." Klaus said, looking down at his hands, where he was holding a silver dagger. He suddenly heard a gasp, and looked over to one of his 4 coffins. Klaus got up and walked over to the coffin, pulling up the lid. "Hello Brother!" Klaus said with a smile.

"Niklaus?" A voice said, hoarse and pained.

"Yes, it's me. Kol…" Klaus smirked as his brother began to get his breathe for the first time in a century.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 : Homecoming**

At the Salvatore House, Stefan was on the phone to Klaus.

" Portland is fantastic. Once you get over all the whiny music and healthy looking people it is literally a breading ground for werewolves." Klaus' voice sounded down the phone, Stefan rolled his eyes. But he knew he called Klaus for a reason.

"Your father is dead." Stefan said, as if it were nothing.

"What did you say to me?" Klaus said, his voice full of anger.

"Oh, my mistake. Not your actual father and not dead. Mikael. Daggered. What do you want me to do with the body?" Stefan said sarcastically.

"Well, first I want you to explain to me exactly what happened."

*One hour earlier, at Salvatore House. Stefan, Elena, Damon and Mikael were all sitting in the library.

"Aye- let`s say that Mikael followed Elena in here. He tried to grab her, so he could use her as bait." Stefan said, trying to come up with a lie to tell Klaus.

"And you what? Vervained him?" Elena asked.

"No! WE vervained him! This guy is an original. To make it realistic." Damon said, looking at his brother.

"O.k. fine. We vervained him, and in the process discovered that he had a dagger."

"Which he planned to use on Rebekah, but instead…"

"We drove it through his heart."

"And what happens when he asks to see Mikael´s body?"

"Good point! You my brother have been compelled to do what Klaus says. So the idea is to lure him back here and kill him- last thing we need is you getting tripped up and tongue-tied." Damon said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, don't look at me I am just in charge of getting him back here." Stefan argued.

"Klaus is smart, if we tell him that Mikael is dead, he'll want proof." Damon said.

"Then I shall be dead." Mikael said as though it were nothing.

"What if he wants to see you in person?"

"Well that means our plan is working. Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here- and I will kill him."

"With what? Those daggers won`t work on him." Stefan asked.

"Well, I´m in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree. The one that left these ashes when it burned."

"Where is it?"

"Not here. The knowing of its location is my insurance policy." Mikael said, his obvious distrust coming out in his tone.

"Against what?" Stefan asked.

"You leaving this in my heart. You see, a vampire can´t dagger an original without dying. So- it falls to you." Mikael said as he handed over the dagger to Elena.

"Y- You want me to actually dagger you?" Elena asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Klaus will leave nothing to chance- especially when it comes to trust."

*Klaus on phone with Stefan in the present time, "I wanna see him. I want to see his rotting body for myself." Klaus said angrily.

"Well, he is here. Come by whenever." Stefan said dryly.

"If you are lying to me Stefan, your compulsion will expose you. So, answer with your life: Is what you are saying the truth?" Stefan closed his eyes and remembered watching as Elena driving the dagger into Mikael´s heart.

"I saw it with my own eyes."

"I wanna talk to Rebekah."

"That´s not a problem. She is right here." Stefan said, handing over the phone to Rebekah.

"Hello Nik." Rebekah said dryly, it was the only way she could hide her anger she held for her brother at that moment.

"Rebekah, love. What´s this I hear about Mikael´s tragic run in with the dagger?"

"It´s true. He´s finally out of our lives for good. I miss you. I´m miserable here." Rebekah lied.

"I´ll be home soon." Klaus said.

"Good. I'll see you then, brother." She said as she hung up the phone and turned to the others "He bought it. He´s coming home."

"Now- was that easy or what?" Damon said, his voice full of an unusual cheer that Damon very rarely had.

"Let´s just get this over with." Elena said, as she walked over to Mikael's body. She pulled the dagger out of Mikael´s chest, and his eyes shot open.

Where Klaus was in Portland, he and his newly endangered brother, Kol, were sitting in the truck with the coffins.

"So brother, how does it feel to be amongst the living again?" Klaus asked his brother.

"You know, Nik, it feels as if I never left." Kol said with a smirk. "But know this brother, as soon as you make sure Mikael is dead, I am taking Rebekah and our family and getting them as far away from you as possible." The two brothers eyes met in an intense gaze full of anger. "You had me daggered for the better part of a century for nothing! And Finn, well Finn has been daggered for almost as long as we've been vampires"

"What makes you think Rebekah will go with you?" Klaus asked, believing his sister was still on his side.

"She will Niklaus. If I tell her what you did to-" Kol began to threaten but Klaus interrupted.

"Don't you dare threaten me Kol, or I will not dagger you, I will rip out your heart just like I did to mother. Rebekah can NEVER know what I did!" Klaus yelled.

"She will find out…in time!" Kol said, walking out of the truck leaving his brother alone…again.

Back at the Salvatore Boarding House, Mikael was still dead on the floor; Rebekah was in a chair, painting her toe nails while waiting for Mikael coming to live again. He started to move, coughed loudly, got up from the ground.

"Finally. Took you long enough." Rebekah said dryly.

"Rebekah."

"Whatever fatherly rubbish you´re thinking- save it. Nothing you say matters to me."

"I see. Where is my dagger?"

"Elena has it. So you can forget your plans to use it on me." Rebekah said, her voice dripping with hatred.

"You were never what I was after." Mikael argued.

"Nik was my family. If you were after him, you were after me."

"He blinded you, Rebekah. He killed your mother!"

"I know what he did, and he´ll pay for it with his life. But Nik was not born a killer- none of us were! You did this to us when you turned us into vampires! You destroyed our family. Not him." Rebekah yelled.

"Rebekah…" Mikael began, but his daughter cut him off by leaving him standing there.

At the Gilbert House, Elena was in front of her closet. Bonnie was sitting on her bed with Alaric´s photos of the ancient Viking drawings.

Elena sighed "I hate everything in my closet. I have nothing to wear to Homecoming."

"So, don't go. Let's stay home order takeout and overanalyze ancient hieroglyphic thingies with Alaric."

"We have to go. Caroline will kill us."

"Ha- Caroline actually has a date…"

"You know that you can talk to me about Jeremy, right?" Elena said, and Bonnie's face fell.

"I don't need to talk about it. He fell in love with his ghost girlfriend and lied about it. What´s done is done."

"You have to talk about it. He hurt you, Bonnie. I am mad at him, too"

"You are mad at your little brother. You'll yell at him a little, teach him a life lesson. You can't really be mad like I am mad." Elena came to a realization from Bonnie's words. Her eyes went wide and she began to speak.

"Bonnie…"

"And you shouldn't have to be. He's your brother. So no I can't really talk to you about it."

Later that evening, at the Salvatore Boarding House, Elena and Damon were in Damon's room, preparing weapons they might need.

"We can't trust Rebekah not to turn on us." Elena said, her voice sad at the prospect.

"Oh really? Cause these Original vampires are usually so reliable."

"Bonnie was right. Rebekah may be mad at Klaus now but - he is her brother."

"Her lying, mama- killing, dagger- happy brother. Wolvesbane is ready." Damon said sarcastically.

"There are too many things that can go wrong with this plan. Too many people that can make it go wrong."

"Well, I am formulating a secret contingency plan."

"Really? What is it?"

"Well, if I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret." Damon said, and Stefan entered the room.

"I need to borrow a tie." Stefan said, boredom evident in his voice.

"You have your own ties." Damon said.

"Hm- I'm a 162 years old and I'm going to a Homecoming Dance. I need better ties."

"You could not go." Elena chimed in. Getting a look from both brothers.

"I'm compelled to protect you. And if I look at your track record at Highschool Dances- it's pretty tragic. With my luck you'll go and get yourself murdered by the Homecoming Queen…"

Stefan left the room. Elena picked up a wolfsbane grenade. Damon hit her hand.

"Ah- ah! No!" Damon said.

"I know how to do it! Alaric taught me!" Damon took the grenade away from her.

"Elena! If this thing blows up in our face- just remember: only one of us heals quickly."

Stefan walks back into the room, noticing the grenades.

"Ah- please tell me that you have a better plan than wolvesbane grenades?"

"Never you mind, brother. The less you know the better."

"My freedom from Klaus rests entirely upon you two executing your plan perfectly. So, excuse me if I'm a bit cynical."

"Your the one that we should be worried about. If Klaus asks you one wrong question- whole thing falls apart."

"You do have reason to worry, but if I look back in our history of epic plan failures, it's usually because one of us let our humanity get in the way. Upon taking odds on how this thing goes down, it's certainly not gonna be me who screws it up. I'll see you at Homecoming. I can't wait." Stefan said as he grabbed one of Damon's ties and walked out the room again.

At Mystic Falls High School, Caroline and Tyler were painting an old VW Bus. "Hey, can you hand me the glitter gun? Thanks." Caroline asked.

"Hey, can't we ditch the decorating and go grab a bite?" Tyler said.

"Oh, I have a thermos in my bag."

"I mean a real bite. Rebekah knows some people who like to be fed on. They're into it, we don't even have to compel them."

"O.k. first of all, I finally almost just got your mother to stop hating me- so I probably don't wanna get caught in some weird vampire threesome with her son. And secondly, quit hanging out with Rebekah the evil blood slut." Caroline half joked, though part of her was very serious. Rebekah was dangerous, and Tyler hanging around with her was even more dangerous.

"Just keep the claws in tonight at the dance, o.k.? For me?"

"So, who has the misfortune of being compelled to be her date?"

"Matt said he'd take her." Caroline's eyes went insanely wide and her mouth dropped open.

"What? You set her up with Matt?"

WShe wants to go to the dance and he didn't have anyone to go with. He drinks vervain. She can't feed on him, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal, Tyler, is that Matt is an innocent, good person, who should not be going to dances with evil blood sluts!"

"Matt's a guy, Caroline. And Rebekah is hot, don't overthink this."

"This is a sire thing, isn't it? Please tell me this is some weird family extension of your sire bond to Klaus!"

"I'm here, hanging streamers and I have glitter all over my hands. If I'm sired to anybody it's you."

Over at The Boarding House, Rebekah was getting ready for the Homecoming Dance. Elena entered the room, and smiled at the original.

"Getting a headstart, huh?"

"Embarrassing truth? This is my first high school dance." Rebekah said shyly.

"Ever?" Elena asked in disbelief.

"I never really had time for high school before. Nik and I were always moving around, running. Anyway- I didn't want to leave anything to chance. Have you heard anymore from him?" Rebekah said sadly.

"No. But I'm sure that when he does return he'll do it with flair."

"And Damon and my father are all set with their plan?"

"Yes."

"Don't tell me. I don't want to know, I just- I want to go to the dance and leave the rest to Mikael."

"I know it's really hard. So thank you for helping us get Klaus back into town."

"Just be careful. I've been running for a thousand years for a reason. Mikael is not a good person and he definitely can't be trusted. No one in my family can." Rebekah had tears in her eyes. Elena noticed this.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"I've spent my whole life loving and hating my brother with equal measure. I never thought that I'd be the one to help drive a stake through his heart." Rebekah took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "No tears- I don't want to ruin my makeup." She turned her back to Elena and looked in the mirror again. "How do I look?"

"You look amazing! But you're missing one thing." Elena answered honestly.

Elena took Esther's necklace out of her pocket. Rebekah's eyes went wide.

"My mother's necklace."

"You should wear it tonight. May I?" Elena asked.

Rebekah looked in the mirror, and nodded. Elena puts the necklace around her neck.

"Thank you."

Elena took a deep breath and drove the dagger through her back into her heart. Rebekah gasped, and started to rot, before falling onto the ground, neutralized.

"I'm so sorry. I can't leave anything to chance either."

Elena was sitting on Stefan's bed; Damon was covering Rebekah's body with a blanket

"In the back! Harsh!"

"It had to be done. Rebekah was never gonna be completely on our side."

"Hey, I'm not judging you. It's very- "Katherine" of you."

"Not the way to make me feel better about myself, Damon."

"It was a compliment. Sort of…"

"Stefan's right. Someone's gonna let their humanity get in the way and screw this whole thing up. It's probably gonna be me."

"Elena, you just daggered somebody. You will be fine."

"Yeah- but I feel bad about it. I care too much, that's the problem, Damon. I'm the weak link."

"If it makes you feel any better, she's not really dead."

"Do you trust him? Mikael?"

"No."

"What about Stefan?"

"No. Not as long as he is under Klaus's control."

"Then we need a better plan."

"I know what to do. Your just not gonna like it."

"Why not?"

"Because when this all goes down, I don't want you having any part of it."

"What does that mean?" Elena asked confused.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

Over at Mystic Falls High School, the fire brigade was there. There was water flooding the place.

"What happened?" Caroline asked.

"The gym is flooded."

"What?"

"Dance is cancelled." Tyler said to Caroline, trying to be as gentle as he could be with the news.

"Excuse me? What are we supposed to do now?"

Elena was at the Salvatore home on the phone with Caroline. Caroline was telling Elena about the gym being flooded.

"So, does that mean I don't have to go?"

"You wish! No, Tyler is moving the party to his house."

"Kegs and beerpong for Homecoming? That's- different…"

"Just say you're still coming?!" Someone began knocking on the front door.

"I'll see you there." Elena hung up the phone and opened the door. Matt was there.

"Elena…" Matt mused.

"Matt... Hey."

"Hey."

"Umm- slight problem with your Homecoming date"

"What happened?"

"How would you feel about a backup date?"

Later at the Lockwood Mansion, There was a band playing in the garden, everyone from the school was there Caroline walked into the house with Bonnie by her side.

"How did he plan a better party than me so fast? What? Is that a band outside?"

"Who are all these people?"

"This is weird! Where is Tyler?"

Stefan moved through the crowd; he met Tyler at the centre of the crowd.

"Hey Stefan! What's up?"

"Hey Tyler. Nice party you've got going on."

"Thanks, but I'm not the one throwing it. I'm just doing what Klaus wants."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not a party, man. It's a wake."

Klaus entered the stage; crowd cheered for him, even though a large portion of them had no idea who he was. Kol slowly walked up onto the stage and looked down at the crowd. He was becoming increasingly hungry.

"Good evening everyone! I wanna thank you for being here with me to celebrate! It's been a long time coming!"

Katherine, disguised as Elena, and Matt arrived at the party.

"So much for Homecoming…" Katherine said.

"This is weird! Us being here together…"

"There's Caroline. She doesn't know anything. Act normal."

"Hey- Klaus is here." Caroline whispered.

"What?

"Yeah! Apparently our sired hybrid-friend Tyler thought it would be okay to let his master throw a party! I expected more surprise! And Klaus has got some guy with him, he kinda looks a little bit like Elijah, only younger. any idea who he is?" Katherine's eyes bulged at Caroline's statement. _Kol? It couldn't be, could it? No way, he's in a coffin. Right? _Katherine thought to herself, but didn't say it, in case she gave her identity away.

"I've learned not to be surprised by anything Klaus does. I'm gonna go find Bonnie." Katherine said as she left the two blondes alone.

"What's going on? And what are you two doing here together? Thought you were supposed to be here with Rebekah."

"Plan's changed. I need a drink."

He left too, leaving Caroline alone.

Katherine walked down the stairs and saw Klaus, Kol and Stefan walking around the party. "Kol?" Katherine whispered.

"Quite the Homecoming" Stefan said.

"I've been planning my father's funeral for a thousand years. Granted, in no version of it were any of these people invited, but you get the idea. "

"So, what now? Stop running?"

"Hm- now I reunite my family." Klaus said, looking at his brother.

"Your family. You mean the people you cart around in caskets? And I take it that you're one of his family?" Stefan asked Kol.

"Why would you just assume that?" Kol asked, with a smirk on his face.

"Well you look like a mini-Elijah and you have Klaus' smirk." Stefan said in his defence.

"This is Kol, Stefan" Klaus said.

"Why undagger him and leave the rest daggered?" Stefan asked.

"Felt like it, but none of that matters anymore. With Mikael gone, bygones will be bygones." Klaus said as he noticed the Homecoming Queen walking by. "Seems the Homecoming Queen still walks among the living, which leads me to believe Rebekah isn't here... Where is she?"

"I have no idea. I thought she was coming with Matt."

"Oh, be honest now, Stefan. Where is my sister?"

"I said I have no idea. How would you like me to take you to your father?"

"Well, it wouldn't be a party without the guest of honor, would it? Bring him to me."

"All right. Perhaps there's something in it for me...? My freedom from your compulsion?"

"Oh, you want your freedom. Well, once he is dead and his weapon destroyed, you'll have your freedom. It'll be my pleasure to give it back."

At the Salvatore Boarding house, Damon poured himself a glass of blood; Mikael entered the room

"Did my daughter go to the dance?"

"Yep- you missed the photo op. Did you get the stake?"

"I did."

"I'm not gonna take your word for it. No offence to your honor and all…"

"None taken." He pulled out the stake from his jacket. It was long, and carved into a perfect point, sharp enough to break through the ribs of an original.

"Fancy. May I?" Mikael scoffed

"It's the only weapon on this earth that can kill an original. So I think I'll hold on to it. No offence."

"I'd offer you a drink- but Katherine tells me you're more of a "vampire on the rocks" kind of guy."

"Well, technically you could still offer."

"Why feed on vampires? Don't tell me it's for the smooth after taste."

Mikael rolled his eyes. "I had a hand in creating vampires, but bloodlust was never my intention. Over the centuries I learned to feed from the predator, not the innocent."

Stefan came in.

"Change of plans. Klaus is back. He is at the Lockwood's and he wants your body delivered to his doorstep."

"I'm afraid he is in for a colossal disappointment."

"Well, he's certainly not gonna come here. I hope your plan didn't depend on that?"

"Didn't depend on that."

"But you do have a plan, right?"

"Oh, yeah. We have a plan, right. Just doesn't involve you." Mikael leapt forward, grabbing Stefan and he started to feed on him; Stefan's eyes closed and he went down.

"You couldn't just break his neck?"

"Well that certainly occurred to me."

At the Lockwood Mansion, the party was still going on.

"My mom would seriously freak if she saw all these people here." Tyler complained. Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Your mother won't be a problem: I compelled her to go to church and pray for your friends."

"What are you talking about?"

"I want you to look around. There is Bonnie, there is Elena and Matt and there's your pretty little girlfriend Caroline. Epic dance was wrecked tonight and who came through with the party? You did. What a pal. But who are all these other people here?"

"I have no idea. I've never seen half these people in my life."

"That's because I' ve invited a few dozen friends of my own. That`s my friend Mindy- picked her up along the way in Kansas. Did you know that there's an entire bloodline of werewolves in the heartland? That's Tony from North Dakota and let's not forget the Seattle contingent." All of the Hybrids turned around when Klaus mentioned them, smirking.

"Are those people all hybrids?"

"And they also love a good party. And they're like you were sired by me, they wish to serve their master. So if anyone should so much as make a move against me, they may feel obligated to retaliate. You're free to warn your friends." Tyler's eyes narrowed and he ran to his girlfriend.

Tyler dragged Caroline into his bedroom; he shut the door.

"What are you up to with Klaus?" Tyler said suspiciously/

"Uh- nothing." Caroline answered honestly. She wasn't up to anything.

"He is on to you, Caroline. Whatever you all think you're about to pull off- he's two steps ahead of you!"

"Okay, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're lying to me."

"You know, actually, I'm not. I don't know anything. But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you about it, because you are sired to team Klaus now. And you can't be trusted. So can we please just go back to the party now?"

Caroline began to leave but Tyler took out a syringe and plunged it into her neck, drugging her with Vervain, she went down very quickly, unconscious.

Klaus and Kol walked up to Katherine disguised as Elena.

"Where`s your date?"

"Getting me a drink." Klaus offered her his drink. She scoffed and rejected it.

"Well, seems I have you to thank for Mikael`s demise."

"He came at me. I didn`t have a choice." Katherine lied, looking at Kol, worriedly.

"Still I´m impressed. It`s not easy for a human to dagger an Original."

"It wasn`t the first time."

"Right. Elijah. You seem nervous."

"I´m not nervous. I just don`t like you." Kol sniggered at Katherine's comment.

"Let`s get straight to the point then, shall I, love? People have been after me for 1,000 years. And I am always one step ahead. So whatever it is you`re thinking of trying, go for it, give it your best shot. You won`t succeed."

Damon walked up to the front door of the Mansion. A nasty looking Hybrid was standing there.

"Invite only, vampire" Damon rolled his eyes. Typical Hybrid Jackass.

"Here's my RSVP." Damon said as he ripped the Hybrid's heart out. "Hybrid".

Back in Tyler's room, Matt was making sure Caroline was okay.

"What`d you do to her ?"

"It's just vervain. She'll be fine. But I need you to get her out of here as fast as possible."

"What's going on?"

"Something's going down against Klaus and this house is full of hybrids like me that can't let anything happen to him."

"What do you mean can't ?"

"I can't explain it. I can't fight against it. I just know that I need to protect him no matter who gets in my way."

"By attacking Caroline?"

"I'm protecting her, Matt! This is the only way to keep her safe. Please. Just get her out of here safely. Get everyone out." Tyler left and went downstairs. He bumped into Damon, who grabbed him and threw him in an empty room.

"As the host you should know these hybrids don't make the best first impression."

"Whatever move you're making, Klaus is gonna be ready for you. He'll kill anyone at this party if he has to."

"Tell someone who cares." Damon began to attack Tyler and they ended up in a brutal fist fight. Tyler turned into his vampire half and tried to bite Damon's neck, Damon barely strong enough to restrain the Hybrid. They both convulse in pain as their heads began to hurt. Bonnie appeared behind Damon holding her hands up. Tyler passes out.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You weren't suppose to witchy migraine me!"

"You weren't supposed to kill Tyler!"

"He tried to bite me!" The White Oak Stake was on the floor, Damon picked it up.

"What is that?" Bonnie questioned, eyes wide. Damon put the White Oak stake back in his jacket.

"Nothing." Damon lied.

"Oh my god is that the...?"

"Shh." Damon whispered. Then he mouthed "They`re everywhere!"

"Why do you have it?"

"Because I`m the only one who can get inside the house!"

Klaus was at a table playing beer pong. One of his hybrids came up to him.

"You have a visitor."

"Well, tell my visitor I'm on the brink of victory here."

"He said his name is Mikael."

"Then we mustn't keep him waiting. Move everyone out back. I'm gonna have a little chat with my dad. Tony, Tell my baby brother the news, then you know what to do."

Klaus went to the front door, Mikael was outside, looking smug.

"Hello, Niklaus." Mikael said with a smirk on his face.

"Hello, Mikael. Why don`t you come in? Oh, that`s right. I forgot you can`t."

"Or you can come outside if you want."

"Or I could watch my hybrids tear you limb from limb."

"They can't kill me."

"True. But it'll make a hell of a party game. All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce."

Mikael smirked at his step-son "The big bad wolf. You haven't changed. Still hiding behind your playthings like a coward. You only forget. They may be sired by you, but they're still part vampire. And they can be compelled by me."

Mindy, The female hybrid pushes "Elena" to Mikael.

"Come out and face me, Nikaus. Or she dies."

"Go ahead. Kill her."

"No, Klaus. He'll do it." Katherine said, feigning fear.

"If she dies, this lot will be last of your abominations."

"I don't need them. I just need to be rid of you."

"To what end, Niklaus? So you can live forever, with no one at your side? Nobody cares about you anymore, boy! What do you have other than those whose loyalty you forced? No one. No one."

"I'm calling your bluff, father. Kill her."

"Come outside and face me, you little coward. And I won`t have to."

"My whole life you've underestimated me. If you kill her you lose your leverage. So go ahead. Go on. Kill her. Come on, old man. Kill her. Kill her!"

Mikael laughed. "Your impulse, Niklaus. It has and will forever be the one thing that keeps you from truly being great." Mikael stabbed Elena/Katherine with a dagger, she gasped loudly and fell to the ground, 'dead.' Damon came from behind and twisted Klaus around and stabbed the white oak tree dagger into his stomach. Katherine got up from the floor and Mikael's eyes went wide.

"Katherine…"

Katherine smirked widely "Ba boom."

Katherine had two wolfsbane grenades in her hands and threw them at the hybrids. Meanwhile, Damon was about to stake Klaus, when Stefan knocked him off of Klaus and held him down.

"What are you doing?!"

Klaus took the stake and flew for Mikael, driving the stake through Mikael`s heart; he burst into flames screamed in agony as he began to decompose and burn out at the same time, leaving him dead.

"What the hell did you do?"

"He's earned his freedom. Thank you my friend. You no longer have to do as I say. You're free."

Klaus un-compelled Stefan. Stefan looked for Damon, but he had fled. Kol just stood at the corner of the room, watching the whole scene, but not taking part in it, because at this point, he didn't care whom was killed, Mikael or Niklaus. Kol turned and headed out the back door of the house.

At the Forbes' house, Caroline was sleeping on the bed, but she was beginning to wake up; Tyler came in.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked.

"What do you think?"

"I'm sorry I stabbed you. It was the only thing I could think of to get you out of there."

"Oh, yeah, not hey Caroline, um, I worried about what might happened this evening so maybe you should just go home and watch Dancing with the Stars?"

"If you knew all your friends were gonna get together and try to take down Klaus, would you have left?"

"No." Caroline admitted.

"So there you go. I saved you from your own stubbornness."

"This isn't funny, Tyler! How am I supposed to be with you when you're sired to him?!"

Tyler sighed. "I need you to understand, Caroline."

"Understand what? That you're one of the bad guys now?"

"Understand that this is who I am! There's nothing that I can do about it. Klaus can't be killed. I can't be fixed. Understand that I'm okay with it."

"But...How are you okay with it?"

"Because it's better. I don't have to turn, Caroline. Not unless I want to. I never have to go through that pain again. If being sired to Klaus is the price that I have to pay, so be it."

"But...you don't have any true control over yourself."

"I never did before. The full moon controlled me. After everything that we've been through, you've been there for me through all of it. Don't turn your back on me now."

"Tyler…"

"Right."

"I just…"

"I got it." Tyler snapped as He left.

At the Salvatore house, Elena and Damon were in the living room, talking.

"How did this happen?"

"We thought of everything, Elena! Klaus having hybrids. Mikael turning on us. We brought in Katherine so you weren't in danger. Anything that could have gone wrong we were prepared!"

"I don't understand. Stefan wanted Klaus dead. More than anything. That's what we were counting on."

"We blew it."

"Where's Katherine?"

"She ran for the hills like usual, the minute things got bad! And who blames her?! Klaus would've crushed her. I had him, Elena. I had Klaus! This could have all been over!"

Damon threw a bottle of scotch into the fireplace.

"Hey. Damon... Hey! Hey, listen to me!" Elena grabbed Damon's face. "We will survive this. We always survive. Trust me."

"We're never getting Stefan back. You know that, don't you?

"Then we'll let him go. Okay? We'll have to let him go." Damon nodded as his phone began to ring. He looked at the caller id. Katherine.

"Not interested in the play by play of our failure right now, Katherine."

"I'm just calling to say goodbye. I don't know what to tell you. You had a good plan Damon. And that's high praise coming from me."

Damon scoffed "That`s not very comforting at the moment. You're going back into hiding?"

"At least my life is not boring. Goodbye, Damon."

"Take care of yourself, Katherine" They hung up their phones; Katherine was driving in a car.

"He doesn't know where it all went wrong…" She looked to the passenger's seat; Stefan was sitting there

"He doesn't need to know."

Katherine stopped the car

"Are you good from here? I need to put about a million miles between myself and Klaus as soon as possible. Stefan?"

Flashback to Salvatore house where Stefan was still down on the floor after Mikael's 2

attack

"Stefan!"

"Elena."

"Not exactly…" she gave him a blood bag. "Pep up! I only got a minute before they realize that I'm not at the party…"

Flashback to the party where Klaus and Kol met Elena/ Katherine.

"You seem nervous."

"I'm not nervous, I just don't like you." Kol sniggered at Katherine's comment.

"People have been after me for a thousand years and I'm always one step ahead: So whatever it is you're thinking of trying, go for it. Give it your best shot. You won't succeed."

"It won't be for lack of trying."

"Ah you'd be smart to tell Damon to mind his manners tonight, because if I die, I've already ensured that he'll die along with me! Even in death my hybrids have their orders. So, you kill me you're killing him too."

Back in the car with Katherine and Stefan,

"How did you know that I would stop Damon?"

"I didn't. I was just hoping that you would want to…"

Flashback to Salvatore house, Stefan was drinking blood, Katherine was with him.

"If Klaus gets killed he is taking Damon down with him."

"So pull the plug on the plan."

"And face the wrath of Mikael? We'll all be dead! Okay look. I know that you've turned off your humanity and that you don't care, so there's only one Solution."

"What's that?"

"Care, Stefan. Care enough to safe Damon's life. Because I am going back to that party and I'm seeing this plan through. Klaus will be killed. We'll have our freedom. But then Damon will be dead. Your brother will be dead, Stefan. Unless you care enough to do something about it."

Back in the car.

"You wanted Klaus dead for 500 years. Why would you risk all that, just to safe Damon's life?"

"I wasn't just trying to safe Damon's life, Stefan. I was trying to safe yours. Your humanity. Let's just say I liked the "old you" better."

"Nah. Come on, Katherine. You don't care about anybody but yourself. You never have."

Katherine shook her head. "You and I both know that that is not true. I loved you, I've loved Damon, too. Humanity is a vampire's greatest weakness... No matter how easy it is to turn it off- it just keeps trying to fight it's way back in. Sometimes I let it."

"I can't let it all back in. I don't want to. Not after everything I've done."

"Of course you don't want to. But if you don't let yourself feel, you won't be able to do what I need you to do next."

"What's that?"

"Get mad."

Flashback to the party, before Katherine went to Stefan. Katherine was standing in one of the many Lockwood Mansions bathrooms. Kol walks into the room.

"Hello Katerina" Kol said wryly.

"What? I'm not Katherine…I'm Elena" Katherine lied.

"Remember Katerina, you and I weren't just acquaintances back in the day." Kol stated, "I'd recognise you anywhere."

"What do you want Kol."

"You're assistance."

"On what?" Katherine asked, and Kol smirked.

At the Salvatore Mansion, Rebekah's daggered body was laying on the floor, her phone started to ring. Klaus was talking to her mailbox, "Rebekah, where are you? Pick up the phone, darling. Daddy is dead. It's time for a family reunion. Kol's really looking forward to seeing you." He received another call. Stefan.

"Stefan! Miss me already?"

"I'm just calling to thank you for my freedom."

"Oh, I like to believe I'm a man of my word, more or less."

"Thing is, it came at too high of a price. You took everything from me, Klaus."

"Let bygones be bygones, trust me. Resentment get's old." Klaus approached his truck in which he transports the caskets.

"You know what never get's old? Revenge."

Klaus opened the truck; it was empty; the caskets were all gone.

"No."

"What's the matter, Klaus? Missing something?" Stefan looked around. He was in a large room, looking at the caskets.

"What are you doing?"

"Just enjoying my freedom."

"I will kill you and everyone you've ever met!" Klaus threatened.

"You do that- and you will never see your family again. I wonder Klaus, as someone who has been one step ahead for a thousand years- are you prepared for this?" Stefan taunted, before hanging up the phone. "Now what?" Stefan asked as he turned around to see someone walk into the room. Kol.

"We release my brothers…and destroy Niklaus, once and for all." Kol stated with a large smirk on his face, Stefan smirked too. _This is going to be fun,_ Stefan thought to himself, _Klaus was going down_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The New Deal**

Bonnie was walking through the woods. She walked into the old abandoned house where the witches were burned. There were voices whispering all around her. She went into the basement and saw that there are three coffins there. She walked toward the coffin that was held up higher than the rest of them and opened it. Klaus was inside, holding Elena's necklace. Bonnie reached out to grab it, but she heard a noise behind her and turned around. She gasped as she woke up in her bed.

Elena was jogging through Mystic Falls. She checked her watch to see what her time was. She turned around and saw a man running towards her. She turned back around and started running again. The man continued to follow her. Elena turned a corner and sped up. After a while, she stopped running and looked behind her. The man is gone. She calmed down and turned around, when she walked straight into the man who was following her.

"Excuse me. Should have been watching where I was going." The man said.

"Don´t worry about it."

"Have a nice day." The man said as he jogged away, Elena watched him go.

At the Mystic Grill, Elena and Bonie were sitting at a table. The grill was quite quiet for this time of day.

"I feel like I´m going crazy. Totally paranoid all the time."

"You have a right to be. Klaus is still out there and he knows you tried to kill him."

"Why hasn´t he made a move? There has been no sign of him. Nothing. Just my slow spiral into insanity."

"Join the club. Every single time I close my eyes, I have that nightmare. On repeat."

"The same dream?"

"Yeah! Three coffins, Klaus is in one of them. It's weird."

"What if it's not just some dream? What if it's like... you know...witch dream?"

"It's just stress. I'll figure it out. And what about Stefan? Has there been any sign of him?"

"He betrayed us Bonnie. The Stefan that we know is gone."

"How is Damon handling it?"

"Damon is...Damon."

At the bar, Damon and Ric are sit Oh, I give you a choice. Bloody Mary or Screw Driver. Brunch in a bottle. Come on Ric are sitting. "I can't drink all this by myself. I mean I can but then somebody's getting naked. Oh man I can't believe you're making me drink alone."

"I´m busy."

"It's the eve of Klaus-aggedon. You're doing homework?"

Alaric scoffed. "This may come as a shock but I am not here to hang out with you. I'm here to see Jeremy. Who is an hour late for his shift."

"Kids today... Where are their values?" Ric smirked and pointed to one of the papers he had in front of him.

"That's his mid- term paper. Copied it straight off the internet. Didn't even try to hide it."

"Ohh, somebody's getting grounded."

"Did you say you are waiting for Jeremy- as in Jeremy Gilbert?" The waitress at the grill asked.

"Yeah." Alaric said.

"He was fired last week." Ric's eyes went wide and he looked at Damon. Damon smirked. "Oops."

In the woods, Jeremy and Tyler were together. Jeremy shot a can with a crossbow and hit it dead on.

"Nice shot!"

"So what's the point of this again?"

"The point is I'm pissed at Caroline and Bonnie dumped your ass. The point is to get drunk and shoot stuff."

"Profound." Jeremy said as he reloaded the crossbow. "Alaric finds out I took this he is gonna use it on me."

"So what's the deal with that? He is like your guardian now?"

"Sort of, yeah. I think he feels responsible for us."

"Do you like him?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah. Yeah- I like him." He aimed with the crossbow, "You wanna move out of the way?!"

"I'm a hybrid, Gilbert. You can't kill me unless you cut off my head or rip out my heart. And you're not gonna do it with that lame ass crossbow! Go ahead! Take a shot! Unless you don't think you can hit me." Jeremy aimed the crossbow and shot at Tyler. Tyler caught the arrow just before it hit him.

Back at the Mystic Grill, Elena was on the phone, leaving a message for Jeremy. Damon was shooting darts.

"Jeremy, the minute that you get this call me!" She hung up the phone angrily "Unbelievable!"

"You are feisty when you are mad."

"it's not that I'm mad. I'm just- I'm worried."

"But why? He lost his job at the Grill. He can survive, Elena."

"He is spiralling. Ever since Bonnie broke up with him, he is moody, he is not really talking to anyone."

"It's typical teenager."

"Who's seeing ghosts and has lost everyone that he cares about."

"Not everyone. He still has you."

"You okay?"

"What makes you think I'm not o.k.?"

"Well, you're day-drunk. It's not exactly your most attractive look."

"Hmm- what is my most attractive look?" Damon moved closer towards her.

"Ahah- I'm not saying you have any attractive looks. I'm saying this is my least favorite one…"

"Noted. See if I can make any improvements."

"Don't mind me."

"Klaus." Elena said, in a panic with eyes wide, almost cartoon like.

"You gonna do this in the Grill? In front of everyone? It's a little beneath you, don't you think?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. I just came down to my local pub to grab a drink with my brother and a mate." Kol and the jogger that followed Elena showed up behind him. "Get a round in, would you Tony?" Klaus smiled, seeing that Elena was shocked.

"Brother?" Elena said, eyes wide again.

"Yes, this is my younger brother Kol." Klaus said cheerfully. Kol smirked at the doppelganger and her little lovesick vampire puppy. "I un-daggered him before homecoming. And if you had been there Elena, you would have met him."

"That doesn't really matter now does it?" Damon asked, and Klaus smirked. "Anyway, I'm surprised you stuck around town long enough for happy hour."

"Our sister seems to be missing. Need to sort that out." Kol said dryly.

"Cute blonde bombshell, psycho. Shouldn't be too hard to find." Kol rolled his eyes.

"Truth is I've grown to rather like your little town. Think I might fancy a home here. Oh I imagine you're wondering how does this is affect you. The answer is: not in the slightest. Unless I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves you can go on living your little lives however you choose. You have my word."

"What more could you possibly want?"

"Well for starters, you can tell me where I might find Stefan."

"Stefan skipped town the second he saved your ass."

"Well you see that is a shame. Your brother stole from me. I need him found so I can take back what's mine."

"That sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem." Elena said, bravely. Klaus moved toward Elena. Damon stepped in between them. Klaus smirked.

"Ha. Well this is me broadening the scope, sweetheart." Klaus said rudely.

At the Abandoned Witch House, Bonnie entered the house. She heard voices whispering. She went down into the basement. When she entered, she sees that there are no coffins here like there were in her dream.

"Hello Bonnie." Stefan said as he stepped out of the darkness. Bonnie turned around. "Stefan. You followed me here?"

"Yeah. Wasn't too hard. You should probably be more careful."

"What do you want with me?"

"Relax. I just need your help."

"Why would I help you? Elena said you saved Klaus's life."

"Let me fill you in on a little secret about Klaus. He kept his family with him at all times- daggered. Stored in coffins. And thanks to his pissed off little brother, Kol. I have them now, and I need you to help keep them hidden."

"Are you out of your mind? Getting help from an Original? And as for Klaus, you're just gonna make him angrier."

"His family is his one weakness. As long as I have that, I can ruin him."

"I don't have enough power to hide three originals!"

"You're a witch. You hate Klaus. I know you can figure something out." At the Gilbert house, Elena and Alaric were preparing dinner and setting the table.

"So, you're ready?"

"Vampires, hybrids and originals- no problem. My rebellious brother- I'm worried." Elena said honestly.

"Proof that you're still human." The front door opened and Jeremy walked in and went straight to the fridge.

"Just in time! We' re cooking."

"Sorry, just passing through."

"Ah, well I thought we would all stay in, have a meal together like a typical, atypical family."

"Why?" Jeremy laughed.

"Maybe because you got fired and you didn't tell anyone."

"Ah- look, can we do this later? I made plans with Tyler. He's meeting me at the Grill."

"Oh wait! When did you start hanging out with Tyler Lockwood?"

"I don't know... Does it matter?"

"Yeah, Jeremy! It matters. He was sired by Klaus. He's dangerous."

"What does it matter if I hang out with Tyler? You of all people are gonna lecture me on who I can and can't hang out with?"

"What is with the attitude?"

"Yeah, whatever, this is lame. Tyler is waiting." He started to leave, but Elena blocked his way.

"Oh, no no! You're not going anywhere, especially not with Tyler." Jeremy looked at Alaric for help.

"I'm with her on this, Jer. Sorry."

Jeremy sighs in defeat. "All right, fine. You want me to stay in? Let's all stay in then." Jeremy stormed off upstairs, Elena and Alaric shared a look.

At the Salvatore house, Damon poured himself a drink, he turned around and saw Klaus standing in the doorway.

"I think it's about time we had a drink, don't you?"

"I'd say we're overdue."

"Well, you've been so busy with all your plotting and scheming."

"You know me. Never miss a chance to plan an epic failure."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Who could have guessed your own brother would betray you?"

"Well, I did have a front row seat when your sister lied to you."

"Yeah, well she's fickle that one. And you say you have no idea of her whereabouts?"

"That's the thing with younger siblings. You just never know what they're gonna do. And where's mini-Elijah?"

"I left him at the grill" Klaus said dryly. "I can't quite be bothered listening to his cockiness right now"

"So what you come to listen to mine instead?" Damon said sarcastically. I'm flattered. Drink?"

At the Mystic Grill, Stefan walked into the bar and walked over to his new business partner, Kol.

"Where are they?" Kol asked.

"They're safe" Stefan said dryly.

"Then keep them safe until I can get my sister as far away from Niklaus." Kol said.

"I know Kol, you've made that clear on more than one occasion."

"Katerina said I could trust you, that is the only reason I went to you for assistance."

"I understand, where does Klaus think you are?"

"He knows that I am here. But he doesn't know what I am doing. Now, where is Rebekah."

"She's back at the mansion, but we had to dagger her to protect her from Mikael. She's in the basement. But she is pissed at Klaus, she found out something that he did a thousand years ago."

"You mean when he killed our mother?" Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I know that Nik killed her. How did Bekah find out"

"Elena…She figured it out and told Rebekah."

"And she's pissed at my brother for it? Perfect…Maybe I will hold off un-daggering them…and un-dagger them all at once." Kol smirked diabolically.

At the Gilbert house, Elena and Alaric are in the kitchen, putting the dinner onto plates. Jeremy isn't down yet.

"Jer. Dinner" Elena called up the stairs.

"Okay, I'm coming." Elena heard him stomping around in his room first before appearing at the top of the stairs.

"Cheered up yet?" Elena asked. Jeremy scoffed.

"Lightened up yet?" The rebellious teenager asked.

"I don't need to lighten up Jer, I'm worried about you. You're not acting like yourself…your acting like you used to be when mom and dad died."

"Well what do you expect from me Elena? I'm 16 years old and I have all this crap to deal with. My sister has two vampire boyfriends, a vampire best friend, and I've got a dead vampire ex, who my uncle killed, that I used to be able to see again, I used to be able to touch her and kiss her again. And I screwed up the most normal thing in my life because of it. Bonnie dumped me because I wasn't over Anna and then Anna went away again, I haven't seen or heard from her in weeks, and Bonnie isn't talking to me either. And then Tyler and I start hanging out and you stop me because he's sired to Klaus?" Jeremy yelled "How is any of that fair on me Elena? No wonder I'm not acting myself again." Elena's eyes were welling up at her brother.

"Jer, I understand where you're coming from, but it isn't safe to be around Tyler right now, when Klaus is alive." Elena argued, and she took her brother's hand, looking down at them, and his bracelet is gone, the vervain bracelet she gave him to stop him being compelled. " Jeremy, where is your bracelet?"

"What do you mean its right he-" Jeremy started as he looked down at his wrist. It's gone…"

"Tyler?" Alaric asked, but it was more of a statement.

At the Salvatore boarding house, Damon poured Klaus and himself a drink.

"Cheers mate!"

"Down the hatch."

"You know, we've actually got a lot in common you and I."

"Really? Well, yeah. Maybe we can bond over our mutual loathing of my brother. Why are you so mad at him? He stole something?"

"My family, the Originals. I had them daggered, boxed-up awaiting the day when I saw fit to wake them. And he went in and pinched the bloody lot."

"Of course he did. Such a buzz kill, my baby bro. Well, I'd love to find him. Just the trouble is, I sure as hell don't work for you."

"You know, your drink stinks of vervain- so I can't compel you. There be no point in killing you because your actually the one with the most help of getting me what I need. And yet it would seem a demonstration is in order. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I told you to find Stefan. Well, it seems you people respond best to displays of violence. Why don't you take this as an example of my reach." Klaus pulled out his phone and dialled a number. "Hello, remember what I asked you to do? Well go a head and do it."

At the Gilbert house, Elena was on the phone to Caroline, yelling. While Alaric and Jeremy are sitting at the table listening.

"I know he's your boyfriend Care, but he's put Jeremy in danger." Elena vented.

"Elena, what do you want me to do? He's not himself right now. He's Klaus' little hybrid puppy. He does exactly what Klaus tells him to do." Caroline argued, with herself more than Elena.

"Caroline can you just get over here as soon as possible?" Elena asked.

"Sure, be there in 10-" Caroline hung up the phone and Elena did the same.

"Caroline's on her way over-" Elena said as there was a noise from the front of the house, the three shared a look and ran out to find the front door lying off its hinges, with one of Klaus' hybrid's standing, the one who was stalking Elena, looking in at them. The Hybrid smiled and pulled out a knife, throwing it and it impaling Alaric right through the chest, knocking him into a wall, killing him instantly. Elena screamed and fell down at Ric's side. Jeremy looked at the Hybrid.

"Oops. My bad. Wrong person but it'll do…" The Hybrid, Tony, said with a smirk before vanishing.

"Oh my god, Alaric?" Elena cried.

"Elena, he's wearing his ring…he'll be fine." Jeremy sighed as Elena stopped crying.

Klaus and a hybrid-girl were walking through the rooms of a large mansion; workers were everywhere.

"Compel the men to open up this wall. We need sun. I want a fortress not a dungeon." Tyler appeared. "Here he is- man of the hour!"

"So everything went okay?" Tyler asked.

"Tony took down Alaric instead of Jeremy, but apples, oranges- message lands the same."

"You said you are sending them a warning."

"And I did. An effective one! Elena's family suffers- she is motivated to get me what I want."

"I didn't think that we actually have to kill anyone."

"Tyler, mate. What you are feeling is the remnant of a guilty conscience. I need you to get over it, okay? End of the day human life is just a means to an end. Our means to our end. You do well to remember that?" Tyler closed his eyes, trying to ignore Klaus' words in vain.

At the Gilbert House, Alaric was lying on the sofa, he's still dead. Damon entered the house. Elena and Caroline were at his side and Jeremy was sitting at the other side of the room on the floor.

"How is he?"

"He's dead, but he had his ring. Klaus's hybrid hit him. Now we just wait."

"Jeremy, why aren't you wearing vervain? Where is your bracelet?"

"As I already told Elena and Ric, I don't know."

"It was Tyler! It had to have been. That's why he was hanging out with him. To get him off the vervain." Caroline said, angrily at her boyfriend.

"Klaus is trying to send us a message. He wants us to find Stefan who stole his coffins full of his dead family members."

"Coffins?"

"Yep! So all we have to do is find three coffins and- voila no one else on your family's Christmas list needs to die!"

"Wait- that's your big plan? To steal back three dead originals so this evil hybrid doesn't kill me and everyone else we know?"

"You got a better idea?"

"Yeah! Let's get the hell outta here! Pack our bags and go!"

"Hey, Jeremy calm down."

"No, no! I'm not gonna calm down, Elena! This happens every time, no matter what we do! Get on my case about school and work- who cares? None of us are gonna make it out of this town alive." Jeremy stormed upstairs to his room.

"He said he wants his family back."

"No! No! I know what you're thinking- the answer is no!"

"If we give him Rebekah…"

"Yeah, then Klaus undaggers her, first thing she does is kill you! Frying pan, fire- not an option!" Damon said.

"Klaus's coffins... How many did you say they were?" Caroline asked.

Bonnie's phone rang.

"Elena, hey!"

"Klaus is looking for three coffins, just like in your dream. Guessing it's not just stress?"

"Elena, don't get involved. Whatever Klaus wants, stay as far away from it as you can!"

"Klaus won't let me. Bonnie, he tried to kill Jeremy and got Alaric instead." Elena said down the phone.

"What do you want me to do?"

"We need to find Stefan. Look, I know that you don't think that your locator spell still works, but we have to at least try."

"You don't need a locator spell…"

At the Abandoned Witch House, Damon and Elena are walking towards the house.

"I thought Bonnie said this place lost all it's mojo." Damon asked.

"The dead witches were angry at her for bringing Jeremy back to life. I guess now they have something they want her to know."

"I hate witches. So fickle... Passive aggressive…" They walk into the house.

"Stefan?"

"Come on, Stef." Damon shouts as his skin started to burn, he rushed to a shadowy corner. "Really?! Still?!"

"What?"

"Witchy spirits aren't a big fan. And they use their juju to screw with my daylight ring!" "Then wait outside."

"Elena...!"

"I'm not leaving until I know if he's here." She went further into the house; Damon sped out the door. Elena went down to the basement. She looked around.

"Stefan?"

"Go away! You shouldn't be here Elena."

Damon listened from outside.

"Stefan, I need your help. Bonnie said that you would be here."

"Well, Bonnie sucks at keeping secrets."

"Listen, you need to give Klaus his family back."

"Oh, really? Is that what I need to do?"

"Klaus' Hybrid tried to kill Jeremy, he got Alaric instead. Don't you get it? Stefan, he's not gonna stop until he gets what he wants."

"Elena, stop talking. I'm not giving Klaus anything."

"Are you listening to me? He's gonna kill Jeremy!"

"Not really my problem." Stefan said coldly. Elena slapped Stefan.

"And you can go to hell!" Elena stormed out of the house.

"That didn't go over well."

"Don't even start, Damon!"

"Let me talk to him!"

"You can't get in! The witches won't let you!"

"Here. Take my car keys. You go deal with your brother, I'll deal with mine." He rushed into the house, running from shadowy spot to spot, so that he didn't get burned, until he reached the basement where Stefan was sitting on a chair.

"Wow! That was impressive. But the coffins aren't here, so... You can go away now." Damon began to recover from his burns "I don't care about the coffins. We need to talk."

"Ok, lets talk."

"Nothing's ever easy with you, is it?" Damon attacked Stefan and threw him out the house, kicking him in the stomach. Damon grabbed a branch off a tree and staked him in the stomach.

"That is for screwing up my plan! You stop me from killing Klaus and you steal his family! Why? Doesn't make sense! Answer me!"

"Piece by piece Klaus took everything from me. I'm doing the same to him."

"But I had him, Stefan! Why did you screw it up?"

"I did it to save you." Stefan threw Damon off of him.

"What? No. No way! You didn't do this for me."

"He was one step ahead of us. If Klaus died, his hybrids would have killed you."

"I want you to get it through your head." Damon staked him again. "Stop saving me!" Damon left Stefan lying on the ground with the stake through his stomach.

In the woods where Tyler and Jeremy were earlier, Tyler was sitting on a stump, drinking; Jeremy showed up behind him, aiming at him with the crossbow.

"Don't do it, Jeremy."

"Why not? You stabbed my back, I stab yours."

"I didn't stab you in the back!"

"Is that why you wanted to hang out? To get me off the vervain?"

"Klaus asked me to. I never thought he would try to kill you."

"It's Klaus, Tyler! What did you think was gonna happen?"

"He doesn't care about you. All he wants is to get his family back." Jeremy shot the crossbow and Tyler caught the arrow again.

"What the hell?"

"Whenever Klaus wants something, someone ends up dead! You think about that next time before you blindly do whatever he says." Jeremy yelled before he turned around and left.

"Jer! You should get home. Stay inside, Get back on the Vervain. Klaus isn't gonna stop until he gets all those coffins back. He is not done with you."

Back at the Gilbert house, a few hours later, Alaric was finally coming back to life. Elena came into the house.

"Ric, hey! When did you return to the living?"

"Oh just a few minutes ago. How is Jeremy?"

"Hating me. Hating life. Hating the fact that we can't even have a family dinner without somebody dying before dessert. Are you okay?" Alaric began to nod before he started coughing up blood. "Oh my god!"

"Something's wrong! The ring!" He collapsed on the floor, moaning in pain.

"Ric, hey." She pulled out her cell phone and called 9-1-1.

Elena opened the front door, letting the paramedics in.

"What happened?"

"He got stabbed and... he's coughing up blood."

"Get his vitals."

"Pulse pretty weak. Looks like internal bleeding. We gotta get him outta here."

"Let's move!" Klaus' hybrid friend Tony appeared at the door.

"Let's not and say we did. Why don't you two meet us at the hospital?"

"What?" The two paramedics started to leave.

"No, no, no, wait. No wait! You have to help him! What are you doing?"

"You can still save his life, Elena. Here- take my blood." He stood on the doorstep. "I can't get in. You're gonna have to invite me."

"No. Why are you doing this?"

"Klaus asked for his family. You didn't deliver." Ric started coughing again, more violently.

"Ric! Oh my god! I'm right here." She rushed over to him and knelt next to him.

"Might want to invite me in, Elena." Suddenly, Tony was hit in the back with an arrow, he fell to the ground; Elena ran to the door and saw Jeremy with the crossbow.

"Jeremy!"

"He's not dead yet." Jeremy entered the house and passed by Elena, walking into the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Jeremy grabbed a knife and walked out of the house again. "What are you doing?" Her eyes went wide when Jeremy cut Tony's head off. "Aahhh!"

"Now he's dead" He stood up. "We've either gotta get Alaric to the hospital now or get one of your friends to come heal him." Jeremy dropped the knife and went back in the house. Elena just stood there in shock.

At the Witch House, Damon walked in and Stefan was still there.

"Do you know what I can't figure out? Why save me? Was it brotherly love, guilty conscience? Is the switch on, is the switch off?"

"You have somewhere you need to be Damon?"

"Reflection. That's not gonna work on me! I invented that."

"We're done. Can't you just go away?"

"Not until you told me why you saved me. You owe me that."

"I don't owe you anything."

"Fine. Next question. Why did you steal the coffins?"

"Because Klaus' family is one weakness I can use against him."

"Use against him to do what? You're not gonna kill him, you know how I know? ´Cause there was only one way to kill him and you blew that to save me."

"You're wrong Damon. Klaus isn't just get to just live forever. There's another way. There has to be. Otherwise, why would his beloved brother want my help in getting them away from him?"

"His brother? As in Kol?" Damon asked. Stefan nodded. "But why would he help you?"

"He wants to kill his brother for what he did to their family, to their mother."

"Well whatever you're doing I'm on in."

"I don't need your help."

"Really? Last time I checked you're hiding in a haunted house."

"I'm in this alone, Damon."

"You're go after Klaus you have to be cutthroat and devious. I'm so much better at that than you. Come on brother. What do you say? If you're gonna keep saving my life at least make it for a good reason." "You want in?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. But it's just me and you. Elena stays out of it."

"Deal!"

"Follow me."

"Wait. I'm not so...welcome in there."

"Don't you worry Damon. We all want the same thing." They walk into the witch house. "Have a look." There were no coffins.

"What? Klaus is allergic to dust?"

"Hmm... Look again." There was a soft breeze and then 3 coffins and Damon's eyes narrow. "Witch spirits hate Klaus as much as we do. They´re using their powers to hide the coffins."

"So even if he comes in the house…"

"...he won't be able to find them."

At Mystic Falls Hospital, Alaric looked at his ring. The door opened and a young attractive female doctor walked in.

"Mr. Saltzman. What are you doing up? You should be resting."

"Ah, I'm more of a walk it off kinda guy. Do I need to sign something?"

"Internal haemorrhaging, a deep stab wound and a mild concussion, that appears to have been there for a while. I have no idea how you're on your feet right now but I need to run some more tests."

"I actually have some place I need to be but...thank you...Dr. …"

"...Fell. But the patients who follow my advice get to call me Meredith."

"Well...I appreciate your help Dr. Fell."

"Mr. Saltzman...what is your secret? Guardian angel or did you sell your soul to the devil?"

"Hmm...a little of both." Ric joked, then left the room.

At the Salvatore House, Elena opened the door; Klaus and Kol were stood outside.

"Thank you for coming." Klaus and Kol walked into the house.

"I trust you have news of Stefan."

"I couldn't find him. But I have something else."

In the Cellar Elena opened the door to Rebekah's cell; Rebekah lay there on the ground, daggered.

"My poor sister. I can't turn my back on her for a moment."

"You have Rebekah. A deal is a deal."

"The life of my sister in exchange for your brother? Yeah I'd say that's a bargain. Consider him spared."

"You should know I was the one that daggered her. When she wakes she´ll come after me."

"I can control Rebekah. Besides I still need your help finding Stefan."

"I told you I don´t know where he is." Kol un-daggered Rebekah as Klaus scowled at Elena.

"You're lying. Fortunately you have no shortage of loved ones. If I don't find my family the question you should be asking yourself is who's gonna die next! Bonnie? Caroline? Damon? It's only a matter of time before Stefan gives me what I want."

"He doesn't care about me anymore. You made sure of that. You turned him into a monster. Now he's your problem. And just so you know I´m not the only one that Rebekah wants dead. She knows what you did to your mother. She knows that you killed her. You can let yourself out." Elena left, leaving the Original brothers alone.

"I told you Bekah would find out sooner or later…"

"Shut up Kol and lift our sister, lets get her back to our new home."

At Mystic Falls hospital. Jeremy and Alaric come out the front door of the hospital and began walking to Jeremy's car.

"So, the ring brought you back to life, but it didn't heal you. Does that mean it's broken?"

"I don't know. It's never happened like that before. I guess I have Damon's blood to thank for the fact that I'm still walking."

"He said to say you owe him a drink."

"That's funny. I'd rather have head trauma... Hey, Jeremy- you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I shot a hybrid in the back and chopped his head off with a meat cleaver. Typical Sunday, huh?"

"You can talk to me about this stuff. You know that, right?"

"What could you tell me that I don't already know? This is the way things are. It sucks but- I just gotta get used to it."

"Jer, there's one thing that I need you to do though before we get home." Jeremy looked suspicious.

At the Gilbert house, Elena was in the kitchen; she was washing blood out of a rag when Damon walked in.

"Did you get rid of him?"

"Yeah. Tony the headless hybrid is down at the bottom of Steven's Quarry."

"What about Alaric?"

"Took care of him, too. He'll be fine. How are you?"

"I think I got most of the blood off the porch."

"Elena. Look at me. It's gonna be okay."

"I have to tell you something." Elena dropped the rag and turned around and lowered her head. "I made a deal with Klaus. I gave him Rebekah."

"What? No. No, no, no you did not do that. She's gonna come here and try and kill you!"

"No she won't. Klaus won't let her because he needs me."

"And suddenly you trust him?"

"No I don't trust him. But what other choice do I have? I don't trust Stefan. Do you think he's just gonna give up the coffins?"

"My brother is- sort of running his own show right now."

"Yeah. My brother just chopped off someone's head! It's not right. It's not fair. He's 16 years old. He shouldn't have to live like this."

"Elena."

" There has to be another way. We have to fix it." She turned back to the sink and picked up the rag, then continued rinsing out the cloth. Damon walked over to her and grabbed her face in his hands.

"We will! Hey- Elena. Hey. We will. Okay?"

At Klaus' Mansion, Rebekah was lying on a table, her skin colour was changing slowly to normal. Kol and Klaus are sitting on the other table.

"Here we are, Rebekah. Home sweet home. Only took a thousand years... And to think I was counting on you being here with me. But that's all ruined now, isn't it?" Klaus said, as he saw one of her fingers moving a little. "I'm so sorry." He stroked her cheek lightly. "Sister... We'll meet again one day…" He picked up the dagger again and plunged it into Rebekah's heart, halting her recovery. Kol glared as Klaus walked out of the room.

"Soon Bekah. He won't know what hit him." Kol said and smirked as he walked out after Klaus.

Back at the Gilbert house, in Jeremy's room, Alaric and Jeremy were sitting on the bed talking. Elena knocked on his door.

"Hey. Can we talk?"

"Ahh- what did I do now?"

"I've been thinking about what you said earlier. About how we should pack up and go…"

"Elena, I didn't mean any of that."

"But you were right. You shouldn't have to give up a normal life- just because of me."

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked as Damon walked the room.

"Your sister thinks we should have another one of our talks." Jeremy looked at Alaric who just nodded. Damon sat down on the bed at Jeremy's side and started to compel him.

"Here's the thing, Jer. You're gonna go out of town for a while- a long while. You're gonna stay with some nice family friends in Denver, you're gonna be at a new school, you'll meet new girls, living girls. You're going to drink a few beers, take an art class. You do whatever you want."

"Tell him he's gonna leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it." Elena said sadly. Damon looked at Elena; she nodded.

"You're gonna leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it. You're gonna have a better life, Jeremy." Elena started crying.

At the Abandoned Witch House, Stefan and Bonnie entered the room with the coffins.

"This is the one I dreamt about." She went to one of the coffins and tried to open it. The door opened and Kol walked in.

"Don't bother. It won't open." Kol said, and Bonnie's eyes widened.

"What do you mean- is it locked?" Bonnie asked.

"Nope. Just won't open. I've tried everything. Blow torches. Crowbar. Can't even scratch the finish." Stefan said.

"I think it's closed with a spell." Kol said dryly.

"Meaning whatever is in there, should probably stay in there." Stefan added.

"You said you wanted to make him suffer. The witches led me here for a reason. I think whatever is inside this coffin is our answer." Bonnie said angrily.

At the Gilbert house, Elena walked out onto the front porch. Damon followed her.

"I feel like a horrible person."

"You just saved his life, Elena. Take it from me, strange is bad, dead is worse."

"I just can't stop thinking about what happened the last time I asked you to compel him."

"He found out. And he got over it. Again: not dead, Elena! He's so lucky to have you for his sister."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"Not just for this, Damon. For everything... I don't know what I would do if you weren't here."

"You should know this, Elena. Stefan didn't screw us over. He screwed us over but he had a good reason."

"What?"

"He saved Klaus to save me. Then he stole the coffins to get even."

"What? Damon, if he did it to protect you then... Why would he even do that? What is it even mean?"

"What's it even mean?... Means I'm an idiot. 'Cause I thought for one second that I wouldn't have to feel guilty anymore."

"What? What are you talking about? Guilty for what?"

"For wanting what I want."

"Damon…"

"I know. Believe me, I get it... Brother's girl and all." He started to leave then stopped halfway down the stairs. "No! No, you know what? If I'm gonna feel guilty about something, I'm gonna feel guilty about this." He walked back up the stairs and kissed her passionately.

"Good night Elena." Damon said as he walked away.

Up in Jeremy's room, Jeremy was sitting on the bed when Alaric walked in. Jeremy looked at him and shook his head.

"I don't get it, how did you know she'd have Damon compel me?" Jeremy asked.

"Because you weren't on vervain."

"So that's why you got me back on it so quickly? To stop her compelling me?" Alaric nodded. "What are we gonna do?"

"You tell her tomorrow that you were on the vervain again and that the compulsion didn't work on you." Jeremy nodded.

Back at Klaus' mansion, Kol is sitting on the table facing Rebekah, with a dagger in his hand and smiled as life began to come back into his sister's body.

"He won't know what hit him!" Kol said with a wide smirk, as Rebekah shot up, gasping for air as she came back to life again, with one thing in mind…Revenge!


	4. Chapter 4

**Based on the episode "Our Town". I renamed it and added in a few scenes and a couple of flashbacks. Hope you like it.**

**Chapter 4: Kol**

Flashback to 1492, Klaus' birthday party was going on downstairs, but Kol was sitting on his bed in their family's mansion. The door swung wide open and Kol turned around, spotting his younger sister, Rebekah standing there in a red gown.

"Everything is almost set brother, Niklaus has everything he needs for the ritual, except for the full moon, which will be in a few days." Rebekah said gleefully.

"Oh wonderful" Kol said sarcastically. "I don't have a good feeling about this Rebekah, Something is going to go wrong. I can just tell"

"As long as that Doppelganger wench and the moonstone are in place, everything is going to go according to plan. But Nik sent me here to ask you for a favour."

"Of course he did sister. What does he want from me now?!"

"He wants you to keep an eye on Elijah and Katerina, he fears our brother will grow too attached to the girl. He doesn't trust him with her after what happened with Tatia!"

"Then watch our brother I shall." Kol said dryly.

"Splendid, I shall tell Niklaus the good news" Rebekah said as she waltzed out of Kol's room.

"Of course I'll keep an eye on Elijah and Katerina, anything Niklaus wants, Niklaus will get!" Kol said, closing his eyes tightly.

Back in the present, at Klaus' mansion, Kol was sitting on the table facing Rebekah, with a dagger in his hand and smiled as life began to come back into his sister's body.

"He won't know what hit him!" Kol said with a wide smirk, as Rebekah shot up, gasping for air as she came back to life again, with one thing in mind…Revenge! "Rebekah, you're okay!" Kol said as his sister's eyes readjusted to the light.

"Kol?" She said breathlessly.

"It's me Bekah!" Kol said with a smile on his face.

At the Salvatore Boarding House, Damon was smiling while taking a shower.

Across town at Alaric's apartment, Elena was training with a punching bag. Alaric walked into the room.

"Hey you're gonna put a hole in that thing. You want to talk about it?"

"Nothing to talk about."

Back at the Salvatore Boarding house. Damon got out of the bathroom, whistling. Stefan was waiting for him in his room.

"Good morning."

"You're late. We were supposed to meet Bonnie and Mini-Elijah at the witch house in ten minutes."

"Relax, brother. Your don't want your hair to fall out."

"Would you hurry up? We have work to do. You know, Klaus isn't gonna spontaneously self-destruct. Why are you all chipper?"

"No reason. Be with you in a minute."

At Alaric's place, Elena was still training while Alaric held the punching bag for her.

"So, what's got you all worked up?"

"I didn't really sleep last night."

"Yeah, me neither. Probably something to do with dying…"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, I'm fine. I think the ring, however, is running low on batteries."

"Yeah, it's another reason why Jeremy has to get out of town. If those rings have a shelf life, he is not protected, neither are you." Elena punched the back with all the strength she could muster.

"Nice, nice, you're getting stronger."

"I'm just channelling frustration. I need coffee." She walked over to the kitchen counter and took off her gloves and made herself some coffee.

"About Jeremy, Damon's complusion didn't work. Turns out he got back on the vervain before you guys got to him." Alaric declared.

"You've got to be kidding me?" Ric shook his head. "Well have you talked to Damon today?"

"No. Why?"

"No reason." She took a sip her coffee.

At the abandoned witch house, Bonnie was breaking a spell, talking in Latin. She tries to open the coffin, but it's still locked shut.

"Why won't you open?!" The coffins disappeared suddenly. She hears the floorboards squeaking, there's someone else in the house.

"Hello? Someone there?"

Damon and Stefan were walking up to the house.

"You didn't say anything to Elena about the coffins, right?" Stefan asked.

"No, I said I wouldn't."

"I know what you said."

"Why are you asking?"

"Because protecting the location of Klaus's family is my number one priority right now. And the fewer people who know, the better." Damon stopped walking. Stefan stopped too. "What?"

Bonnie walked slowly to the staircase, she saw Damon there, he put his finger to his lips telling her to be quiet. A hybrid walked out of the house and ran into Stefan. The hybrid vamped out and before he can bite Stefan, Damon ripped his heart out.

"These hybrids, really bringing the neighbourhood down." Damon threw his heart on the ground.

Kol was sitting on the sofa, watching as Rebekah drank from a blood bag to get some of her strength back.

"It's nice to see your appetite hasn't changed since I've been away sister." Kol laughed out.

"When did he reawaken you?" Rebekah asked dryly.

"A few days before homecoming. I was going to be Klaus' little present for you"

"Did he keep the receipt? I think I'd like to return it." Rebekah said sarcastically.

"Funny. Bekah. I have some good news."

"What?"

"Mikael is dead, I saw Nik kill him myself."

"So that would be both our parents our darling brother has killed now!"

"Our family is nothing if not dysfunctional." Kol laughed. "There is more news. We have our siblings coffins, they're being protected for us."

"Where? Who is protecting them Kol?"

"Well that's the part you might not like…" Rebekah glared at her brother, waiting for an answer.

At Mystic Falls High School, Elena was decorating Caroline's locker for her birthday. Bonnie ran down the halls and stopped beside Elena.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, I… I got held up."

"It's okay. I just got here too. Can you pass me the balloons? Thanks. What got you running late?"

"I was working on some new spells. You?"

"Working out with Alaric. So, I have something I need to tell you, and you're not gonna like it."

"What happened?"

"Damon and I tried to compel Jeremy to leave town for a while. But he got back on vervain before Damon got to him."

"Jeremy wouldn't just leave you to deal with Klaus on your own."

"I know, hence why I asked Damon to compel him." Bonnie glared at Elena, "I know, Bonnie. But it's not safe for him here anymore. Leaving would give him a better life."

Bonnie looked at Jeremy who was in the background.

At the Abandoned Witch House, Stefan and Damon were in the room with the coffins, Damon was hitting the coffin with a shovel, trying to open it to no avail.

"You're wasting your time. It won't open. Did you bury the body?"

"Yeah. Any sign of our little hybrid buddies?"

"Nope, just the dead one."

"Alright, Klaus has 6 siblings. Rebekah is now with Klaus. Then there's our benefactor, Kol, There was one dead kid in the old world, one dead kid in the new world, which leaves Elijah and another one. Two sleeping originals, three coffins. So who is in the locked box?"

"No idea. But whatever is in here, Bonnie seems to think will help us kill Klaus. So the sooner she can get this open, the sooner we will know if she's right."

"Oh you think, spirits of a bunch of dead witches that can make the coffins invisible would have figured out how to open one."

"You know none of this is gonna do us any good if Klaus's hybrid friends find our hiding place, right? They need to go away." Stefan said.

"Oh yeah, that's a great idea Stefan. Why don't you just ask them to pack their bag and take a long rest while we are on it. How about to keep the peace? Don't attend to the real thing we are trying to hide." Damon said angrily.

"Well I'm not gonna play defence when I have what Klaus wants. He does what I say or I dump his family to the bottom of the ocean."

"And he kills you and everyone you know like, I don't know... Elena!" Damon yelled.

"His family means more to him than anything else."

"You sure about that?"

"Well I don't know Damon. I mean, I guess there's only one way to find out, right? Call his bluff."

"The only way to call someone's bluff, Stefan, is to be willing to loose everything if you're wrong."

At the Mansion, Kol and Rebekah were in the living room, Klaus was still MIA.

"So let me get this straight, You were released from your coffin, then ran into Katherine, made a plan to bring down Nik and then sought help from the Salvatores and their witch friend to hide our family?"

"Pretty much, yes!" Kol said with a proud smile. "There's something else. Niklaus can't find out you're awake, not right now anyway, so I'll have the Bennett girl cast a spell that makes it look like you're still daggered, until I'm ready for the next phase of my plan."

"Oh wonderful, why are you so obsessed with bring down Nik?"

"Because Bekah, if you haven't forgotten, he took EVERYTHING from me!" Kol yelled angrily, before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, remembering the day that he had lost his love because of his older brother's obsession with breaking the sun and the moon curse.

Flashback to 1492, Kol was sitting in the beautiful spacious garden, watching as Klaus took Katerina away from where she was sitting with Elijah. Kol sighed and got up to walk back into the family's home, when suddenly Elijah appeared in front of him.

"'Lijah? What's wrong?" Kol said innocently, _You've been caught, he's figured you out. Elijah is the smartest of all of us, of course he's figured out! He'll tell Niklaus that he knows he told me to keep watch, Nik will do to me what he did to Finn!_

"Kol, you're aware I have known you since your birth? I know everything about you, including when you are besotted, like you are with Katerina"

"Elijah, don't be ridiculous. I know not to have feelings for the Doppelganger. Niklaus would be furious." Kol lied.

"Kol, dear brother, you were a terrible liar when you were human, now you're a vampire, you are so very much worse" Elijah laughed. "Brother, you know as well as I do what Niklaus will do to Katerina. We must get her away from here immediately. And if I'm not mistaken, our brother has enlisted you to watch over Katerina and myself, am I correct?" Kol nodded. "Then you shall have to be the one to help her escape. Niklaus will kill her if we don't act fast. Tonight he will perform his ritual and she will die. Now Go!" Kol winced when Elijah yelled, and he sped off, to warn Katerina and help her escape from the fate Niklaus had planned for her.

Back to the present, Kol wiped away a tear that was beginning to fall before Rebekah noticed.

"Nik's obsession resulted in Katerina being turned, and then his rage for her betrayal turned her into a monster that had no reminisce of the girl I once loved."

"Well brother, count me in! I want Nik to pay for what he did to Mother!" Rebekah said with a smirk matching that Kol was now wearing.

At Mystic Falls high, Bonnie came out of class and saw Jeremy at his locker, she knew it was now or never. They had to be friends for Elena's sake, so she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and walked over to her ex.

"Getting back on the vervain before Damon could compel you, that was pretty genius."

"I thought so. So Alaric told Elena then, huh?" Jeremy laughed. "Should it be this awkward between us?"

"I guess we should talk about it then?" Jeremy cringed, he was dreading this conversation. "Look, Jer, I was hurt by what happened between you and Anna. I didn't want to even see you again. But I've had some time to cool down and I think we should at least be friends again."

"Bonnie, I would love that, but I kinda have explain everything. It might clear the air a little"

"I know Jer, but I don't know if I can take it right now. But maybe later? We're all getting together for Caroline's birthday, you should come. Maybe we can talk then?" Jeremy smiled that smile that Bonnie loved so much, so she smiled too and then shook her head and walked away.

Outside the school, Caroline parked her car. She saw Tyler and gets out of her car.

"I can't talk to you."

"I know you're upset but…"

"Upset? You almost got Jeremy killed! And before you ask me to understand or to support you, can you at least tell me what you're planning to do about your sire bond to Klaus?"

"There is nothing that I can do about it Caroline. That's the point. I just wanted you to know that I understand why you can't be with me. Even though I want to put you first, before anyone, I can't, I'll never be able to. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just want you to know that."

"I'm sorry too." Tyler gave her a bracelet.

"Happy birthday." Tyler said before walking away.

At Klaus' mansion, Klaus was sitting in a room that would be the living room , Kol walked in.

"Show Bekah to her room, would you, Kol?"

"Sure." Kol said with a fake smile. Stefan walked into the room.

"I'm surprise you're still in town. I gave you your freedom, you could have gone anywhere."

"I live here Klaus."

"Well if we're playing this game, then, I was here first."

"You know, I don't like your hybrid friends. They're everywhere, kind of like flies. I want them gone."

"Yeah, well I kind of like having them around. You know, I'm hurt. I hoped that when I free you, we pick where we left off. But here you are, guzzling vervain like the rest of them, I'm sure. So much for friendship."

"Friends don't strip friends of their free will."

"Okay, granted, that was a little extreme, but I get a little moody. Just ask my siblings. Speaking of whom, isn't it time you handed them over?"

"Klaus, get your hybrids out of Mystic Falls or I will remove them myself."

"You see, if you continue to threaten me, I'm gonna be forced to retaliate. Kill people. And it will get messy again."

"Do whatever you want, I don't really care. Or you know what? Maybe I do. Maybe I care so much, that I'll drop Elijah in the Arctic."

"Well, maybe I'll be willing to loose one brother if it meant killing yours."

"Try me, let's find out." One of Klaus' hybrid's, Mindy, walked into the room.

"Is everything ok?"

"Everything is fine, Mindy. Stefan was just leaving after failing to make his point." Stefan smirked and then rushed over to Mindy and knocked her head clean right off.

"Well, one down. You may want to send the rest of them away before it gets messy, again."

At Caroline's house, Caroline walked into her house and put her stuff down. All of a sudden Elena, Matt, Jeremy and Bonnie jumped out with balloons, party hats, and a sign. They all yelled surprise.

"Happy birthday!" Matt said happily.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Well you blew off school and missed our work of birthday art, so…"

"Change into warmer clothes, we are going to the falls. Smores, camp fire." Bonnie said giddily.

"Cake, like when we were little." Elena added.

"Except for the tequila!" Matt joked.

"Thanks, guys. Really, I'm just not feeling my birthday this year."

"I'm sorry, what? You've already claimed your birthday as everyone's favorite day of the year." Jeremy interjected.

"Yeah, and now, it's just a reminder that technically, I'm dead. Look, I'm didn't even like 17. And the only point to 17 is to get to 18, it's a filler year, I'm stuck in a filler year."

"You're not stuck Caroline."

"Yeah I am, but it's okay. You know, It's all good, I will be fine. But I just need some time to wallow in it."

"Okay, well I think I have another idea." Elena said.

At Klaus' Mansion, Kol and Rebekah were sitting in Rebekah's room.

"So Nik thinks that I'm still daggered?"

"Yes. He thinks you're in a coffin, in this room as a matter of fact." Kol said with a smirk. Rebekah looked at her twin brother with a suspicious look in her eyes. She then remembered when Kol told her about his arrangement with Katherine. Her eyes went wide.

"How did it feel seeing Katerina again? After all these years?"

"It was different. I felt like I didn't know her anymore. It brought everything back, you know?" Rebekah nodded with a sad look on her face. Kol looked away from his sister, and closed his eyes, remembering the last time that he saw Katherine as a human.

Flashback to 1492, Katerina was sitting in the garden of Klaus' mansion, the door opened and Katerina turned around looking to the door and as it opened, revealing Kol standing there, looking sad.

"Master Kol? Are you alright?"

"Katerina, I've been looking all over for you. You must leave this place with me at once, I have to get you out of here."

"Pardon?"

"Katerina, you are to die tonight"

"Sir, I do not understand. You're words complicate my head.""My brother, Niklaus is going to kill you tonight. And I cannot allow that to happen."

"Why would Niklaus kill me?" Katerina said looking scared. She walked towards Kol, placing her hands on his arms.

"Katerina, please. I beg of you. I care about you much to much to allow my brother to kill you in order for his ritual to succeed." Katerina tilted her head to the side, and she closed her eyes, fighting back tears. "Katerina, I must admit this before I can help you escape. I have fallen in love with you whilst you have been here." Katerina opened her eyes and smiled. She leaned forward and pressed her lips delicately against Kol's.

"Then I shall leave. However, I would very much like you coming with me, assisting my escape." Katerina said sadly. She looked to the gate of the garden.

"Come now Katerina. We must to go. However, I will not be able to take you far." Kol and Katerina ran out of the gate, Katerina looked back at the gate and sighed and kept running.

Back in the present, at Klaus' mansion was downstairs in the room his Hybrid died. One of his other Hybrid's walked in holding the decapitated head of Mindy.

"What do you want me to do with her head?"

"Just get rid of it. Burn it. I honestly don't care, Daniel."

"You called? I'm here. What happened?" Tyler said as he walked into the room.

"What happened is Stefan had two paths in front of him and he chose the one that made me angry. I need you to help me to do something about that."

"Can't you just leave me out of it?"

"What would be the point of that?"

"Seriously man, can't you just ask another hybrid to do your bidding? I lost my friends, my girlfriend."

"Right, your girlfriend, about her, I need you to bite her."

"What?" Tyler said wide-eyed.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"A hybrid bite will kill a vampire."

"Yeah, I know exactly what it will do. Stefan push me too far so I'm pushing back."

"I'm not biting Caroline."

"Tyler, I've been supernaturally blessed with the good fortune of a sire bond to you. So one could consider this me putting your undying loyalty to the test."

"What the hell is wrong with you? I'm not hurting Caroline."

"Alright. Alright. I'm disappointed but you know, it's your choice, free will and all that. I'll find another way to strike at Stefan. You can go now."

At the Town Hall, Damon and Alaric were going to a Council Meeting.

" I thought Stefan saved your life."

"He did."

"And now he is willing to risk it just to see how far he can push Klaus?"

"It seems so."

"So is his humaity are on or off?"

"I think there is another option playing, a dimmer switch, which is a huge problem."

"Why?"

"Because I can't predict how far he is willing to go until someone gets killed."

"So you suddenly cares who lives or dies?"

"I have a small list."

"Talk about a humanity dimmer switch." Ric said with a smirk.

"Screw you."

"Can't a council meeting ever just be a council meeting?" Alaric said as they entered the Meeting Hall.

Caroline, Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie, and Matt entered a tomb.

"There it is." Elena said, smiling.

"This is creepy, even for us." Bonnie cringed.

"No, Caroline was right., technically, she is dead. Sorry. But you don't need a birthday, you need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life so that you can move on with your new one." Elena said smiling.

"Okay, here lies Caroline Forbes." Caroline said with a sigh.

"Cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, third grade hopscotch champion." Elena smiled, while sticking candles into Caroline's birthday cake.

"Friend, daughter, overachiever."

"Mean girl, sometimes, no offence." Jeremy joked.

"Ah, none taken."

"She was 17, and she had a really good life. So rest in peace, so that she can move forward. That's what you really need. What we all really need. Amen, or cheers or whatever. Bonnie?" Bonnie smiled as she lit the candles with her powers.

"Nice. Okay, make a wish." She held the cake out to Caroline, who closed her eyes and made a wish.

At the town hall, Alaric was looking at a model of the Wickery Bridge.

"It's the bridge where Elena and Jeremy's parents died in the car accident."

"Something is up with her. Elena. Something more than usual. You know what it is?"

"Well I'm sure it starts with a "Stef" and ends with a "n". I'm gonna get a drink, write a check and then we're out." Damon said walking away, Dr. Fell arrived looking tired.

"Alaric Saltzman. Miracle patient."

"Doctor Fell."

"I'm glad to see your still alive. A part of me thought you would have drop dead in your sleep."

"Well I guess I have nine lives."

"Not a bad thing to have in a town with vampire problem." She said with a whisper.

"Sorry? Are you on the founders council?"

"I'm a Fell, I come from a long line of founders. May they rest in peace." Meredith said pointing to the model of the bridge. "I hate that bridge. My senior prom date dumped me on this bridge."

"Oh yeah, did you threw him over?"

"No, but I should have. I've been holding a grudge ever since. Where did your friend go? I'm supposed to hit him up for some money for the fundraiser."

"Well you should, he is loaded."

"He is in good company. Some British guy just pledged to match every dollar we raised."

"What do you mean a British guy?" Ric looked around for Klaus.

Klaus was talking with Carol Lockwood.

"What colour are your eyes?" Klaus flirted.

"They are blue."

"Oh yes, they are."

"Look at what the cat dragged in." Damon said with a smirk, then looked down at what Klaus was wearing. "Nice vest."

"Thank you very much, good to see you Damon. Carol and I were discussing about whether you would be the other big benefactor."

"What do you say Damon? Klaus has made a very generous pledge. You know how we're chomping at the bit to begin the renovation."

"Carol, don't take this the wrong way, but do you realize that you've been kissing the ass of an immortal hybrid who ruined your son's life?"

"Oh, come now. Some would say that I saved him from all that nasty full moon business. I know how to go through it myself, more than twice to be honest but still, I'm very sympathetic."

"Klaus has promised to protect Tyler, Damon. And our town."

"From who? His hybrids are the one the town needs protection from."

"Well, I'd have no use for them if your brother would kindly return my family."

"Not gonna happen."

"That's what I thought, which is why I've come to an agreement with the mayor. You and the council stay out of my hair, I stay out of yours. Your town gets protected, my hybrids get left alone and everybody will be happy. All you have to do is to get Stefan to stop decapitating my friends."

"Please Damon, just get your brother under control or the council will be forced to take action against him."

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"Oh come on mate, give peace a chance."

Back at the tomb, Elena, Bonnie, Matt, Jeremy and Caroline were eating the cake. Matt took the bottle of tequila from Bonnie, but Elena snatched it from his hand and drank.

"Ah-ah. I need it more than you do, trust me. Caroline, what are you doing?" Elena said noticing what the birthday girl was doing.

"What? Nothing."

"Okay, you're a bad sober liar, you're an even worse drunk liar." Elena laughed.

"I might have texted Tyler."

"Caroline…"

"What? I'm delicate."

"Give her a break. You can't control what everyone does all the time."

"Wow." Elena said with wide eyes.

"Ouch, Bon." Matt said as Jeremy cringed knowing what Bonnie was referring to.

"Sorry, I know it's Caroline birthday, funeral or whatever but, I just feel it's really wrong that you tried to have Jeremy compelled to leave town."

"I did it to protect him, Bonnie. I wanted to give him a chance to have a quiet normal life."

"He should be able to choose how he wants to live it, you tried to take his choices away. I'm so glad he got back on the vervain before you could have Damon mentally violate him!"

"Bonnie, Can you drop it? He's not going anywhere, like you said he's on vervain again. So just don't get involved!"

"Why? Are you gonna compel me not to?"

"You know, you guys are ruining a perfect funeral." Jeremy said trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm sorry. I'm just gonna go sleep it off or something. Happy birthday." Bonnie said walking out the tomb.

"Bonnie wait!" Jeremy yelled after her, "Way to go Elena" Jer said sarcastically before running after Bonnie.

Back at Klaus' mansion, Kol is sitting in his room looking in the mirror, his eyes reddened with crying. Kol, for the first time in over 400 years, turned on his emotions again. He wanted to feel again, even if only for a short period. He wanted to remember Katerina and actually feel something for her. He closed his eyes and remembered what it was like after Katerina had gone and he had admitted to Klaus it was he who helped her escape, not Elijah whom Klaus had blamed.

Flashback to 1492, Kol was sitting in the garden, looking incredibly saddened. His heart had broken, as had his bond with Niklaus. Kol loved his brother fiercely and it hurt him to betray Niklaus. Elijah came out of the manor and walked up to his youngest brother.

"Kol, are you feeling alright?" Elijah asked solemnly.

"No Dear brother, I am not. The woman whom I love has now fled and my brother has sworn that he will make me pay for helping her go."

"Niklaus shall forgive you Kol. You both have never been able to stay angry at each other for very long." Elijah smiled. "Kol, I came out to find you to thank you immensely for admitting to Niklaus that it was you who aided Katerina escape. You are very noble and I am incredibly proud of you my dear brother." Elijah kissed Kol on the top of the head before returning into the house. Kol closed his eyes and smiled, letting Elijah's words sink in, when suddenly Rebekah appeared.

"Kol! I have some terrible news. News that will devastate you."

"What is it Rebekah?"

"Katerina…she's been turned into a vampire."

"What? How is that possible?"

"She had vampire blood in her system and she hung herself, she killed herself before Niklaus could find her."

"Then may her sacrifice not be in vain!" Kol said walking away from Rebekah, trying to hide the fact he was heartbroken…again!

Present day. Kol opened his eyes wiped them, before walking out of his room and going to find his sister.

Back at the Town Hall, The sheriff and Damon walked through the party.

"The mayor is looking out for Tyler. For now we have to assume Klaus has her in his pocket."

"Oh please don't tell me you're gonna drink the Klaus Kool-Aid."

"I'm not gonna let him hold this town hostage. But I'm also not gonna let innocent people get caught in a cross fire in a pissing contest between a hybrid and a vampire."

"Liz, I'm impressed, you're all strong and sheriffy."

"I'm not kidding Damon. Get Stefan to stand down from this one before someone gets hurt."

Dr. Fell was with a man, a little bit away.

"What are you doing? You're gonna ruin your career."

"Says the guy who got his job from his dad."

"Do you have any idea what you're messing with?"

"I know what I'm doing."

"Damn it Meredith."

"Back the HELL off, Brian." Alaric showed up behind them.

"Everything all right here?"

"Everything is fine." Brian said dryly.

"Didn't look fine."

"You might want to get to know her, before you become her white knight. She's kind of a psycho case."

"You're that guy, aren't you? The one begging to have his teeth kicked in."

"Take it from me man, life is too short."

"Just go away, Brian." The man scoffed and walked away. "Behold, my senior prom date."

"Well you definitely should have throw him over the bridge."

"Unfortunately, I have to work with him. He is on the council, the medical examiner. The guy who signs his name under cause of death, "animal attack"."

"I get it."

"Duty calls. Thanks for the hero moment."

"Anytime." Meredith walked away.

Upstairs, Stefan discreetly grabbed a long knife. The hybrid Daniel went in a room upstairs and closed the door. Stefan arrived and stabbed him in the stomach. He put the knife to his throat, but Damon stopped him and pushed him against a wall.

"What are you doing?"

"What are you doing? No dead hybrids at the Founders party."

"No I told Klaus to get his hybrids out of town, he didn't listen so I'm gonna say it louder."

"You don't think there's 10 more where that came from? And if you kill them, Klaus won't make 20 more? Have you forgotten about Elena's part in all of this? Or do you not care if she is a human blood bag for the rest of her life?"

"Protecting Elena is your problem now. See, I'm not compelled by Klaus to do that anymore."

"Don't give me that no-humanity crap, you can't just flip your switch. Your switch is fried Stefan, just like your brain. You want to take Klaus? You want to beat the villain? You got to be smarter."

"To beat the villain, Damon, you have to be the better villain." Stefan clapped Damon on the shoulder and walked away.

Just outside the cemetery, Bonnie and Jeremy were in Jeremy's car.

"Bet you're glad I didn't drink tonight huh?" Jeremy said with a smirk.

"Don't gimme that, I saw you swig some of that tequila" Bonnie joked. "But thank you for driving me home. My knight in slightly rusty armour." Bonnie laughed and Jeremy smirked.

"Just doing my bit ya know…Care in the community and all"

"Are you calling me old?"

"No, would I do that." Jeremy joked, and Bonnie smiled again._ Crap he keeps doing that smile! I could kill him right now for making me want to kiss him! Damn You Gilbert!_

"So, I guess you wanna have that talk now huh?" Bonnie asked. Jeremy nodded. "I'm listening"

"Bonnie, you need to know what happened with Anna, I regret it more than anything I've ever done, and that includes the whole druggie phase"

"I know jer"

"Well when Anna died, I didn't get to say goodbye to her. I didn't get any closure. I thought I was over her. Then I started seeing her ghost and I could speak to her, then I could touch her and I could kiss her…which I know was like the dumbest sounding thing ever…kissing a ghost. I swear to God, I felt like Jennifer Love Hewitt!" Jeremy said seriously, and Bonnie just laughed loudly. "But then I knew I couldn't be with her anymore, I was with you and I loved you, I still love you. But then we were saying goodbye, having a goodbye kiss, and then Elena caught us, did the whole Elena thing of totally blowing things out of proportion and trying to control everything, like she does way too often."

"She does do that a lot"

"But because Elena told me to get rid of Anna, and tried to control me, I did the opposite just to spite her. Dumb I know. But then I got rid of Anna, we were both clear we couldn't be together again, and then I lost you too. And you didn't even wanna know."

"Jeremy, I was hurt! You really can't blame me! I risked everything, EVERYTHING to ensure you didn't die when Caroline's mom shot you, I got cut off from the spirit witches. Then you kiss the emotastic ghost, and I could have killed you myself! But I never stopped loving you! I still love you Jeremy!" Bonnie looked around out of the window, and realised she was home. "Well I'll see you later." She got out of the car quickly, wiping her eyes as she did. Jeremy shook his head and jumped out of the car.

"Bonnie!" Bonnie turned around just in time to see Jeremy running up her path and kissing her passionately on the lips. They kissed for a few seconds before Jeremy pulled back. "I'm sorry, I just had to do that." Bonnie just blinked then smiled as Jeremy walked back to his at the tomb, Tyler arrived. "Sorry, I didn't mean to crash the party."

"So don't."

"No, it's, it's okay. Hi."

"Can I talk to you for a sec? It's kind of important."

Caroline looked at Elena then walked out with Tyler.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked as Matt took the tequila from her.

"Yeah, I want her to be happy you know. It's what I want for all of you guys, in the middle of this crazy life we got stuck living."

"Is that how you see it? That we're stuck?"

"I'd say it's attached itself to you all pretty tight, yeah."

"Bonnie is right, you know I had no business messing in Jeremy's head. Or trying to at least. I just didn't know what else to do. He is in danger here. I can't loose anyone else that I love."

Outside, in the woods. Caroline and Tyler were talking.

"I take it all back. Everything I said this morning. Klaus can't control me. Not when it comes to you. I won't let him." Tyler said.

"Tyler, it's okay. Maybe we just weren't meant to be together. Maybe we just have to accept that and move on."

"I'm not moving on from anything. I love you."

"What?" Caroline smiles and then they kissed, which quickly became very heated and Tyler bit her neck.

"Ouch! What the hell? What just happened?"

"Oh no."

"Did you just bite me?"

"Oh my god. I'm sorry."

"Oh my god! Just get away from me! Get away from me!"

Matt and Elena were looking for Caroline in the woods.

"Caroline!"

"Great, we've been abandoned. Okay we're going on a search party, I don't trust that she won't get back together with him." Elena said, slurring slightly.

"Caroline!"

"Come on Caroline we don't have anymore drinks! Matt's being haunted by the Fell ghosts." She pushed Matt, Matt pushed her back and smiled. Suddenly someone knocked Matt out. Stefan came out and put his hand over Elena's mouth and took her away.

In Stefan's car.

"What are you doing Stefan?"

Elena's phone rang. Stefan answered it.

"Hello Damon, she's a little busy right now."

"Why the hell do you have Elena's phone?"

"I'm making my next move. Let me ask you something. What will Klaus do if he can't make anymore hybrids?"

"What?" Elena yelled.

"Stefan, leave her out of this."

Stefan rolled down the window and threw her phone out.

"What are you doing? Stefan let me out of this car. Do you hear me? Let me out of the car!"

At the town hall, Damon and Klaus entered an empty room.

"What now? You just pulled me away from a fascinating conversation about landscaping the Town Square."

"Stefan just grabbed Elena."

"Well, he's getting desperate."

"He's gonna try and use her against you. Do what he says, get rid of your hybrids."

"Or what? Stefan would never dream of killing her."

"You sure about that? He just tried to behead someone in the middle of a council party. He's operating on crazy right now."

"Well, crazy or not, that kind of love never dies. He's bluffing."

"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't but if you don't want to believe him, believe me. I know my brother better than anyone and right now I don't have a clue how far he is willing to take this. So if he says blink, I suggest you blink."

At Caroline's house, Matt was carrying Caroline in his arms and ran to the front door. "Sheriff Forbes!"

"What happened?"

"Tyler bit her."

"Oh my god, sweet heart. Be careful. Oh, honey. Caroline, honey, can you hear me?"

"I'm sorry mom."

"She keeps hallucinating or something, I don't know. No one's picking up the phone."

"It's alright sweet heart."

In Stefan's car. "So what's the plan, Stefan? What's the big move you're making?"

"I took Klaus's family to make him suffer. I'm not gonna let him make himself a new one."

"So what are you gonna do, huh? Are you gonna lock me in some cave and keep me hostage?"

"Maybe I'll just turn you into a vampire."

"Stop the car Stefan! Stop the car Stefan!"

Stefan pulled out his phone and dials a number and called Klaus.

"Stefan, how nice to hear your voice." Klaus said sarcastically.

"Tell your hybrids to get out of town Klaus."

"Well that's not gonna happen until I get my coffins back."

"Okay, well then I'm gonna drive your blood source off Wickery Bridge."

"I don't believe you Stefan, you won't kill her."

Stefan made Elena drink his blood.

"No! No! No! What are you doing?"

"What's going on?"

"I just fed her my blood. No more hybrids if she is a vampire."

"You won't do it."

"Really? Try me, because your coffins are next to go. Say goodbye to your family Klaus."

"Stefan slow down! Stefan! Stefan stop it!"

"Fine, I'll send them away, you win."

"Stefan! Stefan stop!"

"Stop the car, Stefan!"

Stefan roughly stopped the car. Klaus heard this and hung up, furious. Elena got out of the car.

"Get back in the car."

"Stay away from me."

"Elena, get in the car."

"How could you?! My parents died going over this bridge. I almost died. You knew that. You're the one who saved me."

Elena started crying.

"Look he had to believe that I would do it alright, your fear sold it."

"What if he hadn't?"

"He did."

"Well what if he hadn't?"

"He did Elena! He backed down! He has a weakness. If I know his weakness, I can destroy him."

"After everything, that's what mattered? Destroying Klaus?"

"Destroying Klaus is all I've left."

"You had me!"

"I lost you the minute I left town with him. You just haven't let yourself admit that yet."

"Is that what you're doing? Trying to make me hate you?"

"I don't really care what you think about me anymore Elena."

Stefan got back in his car and drove off. Elena watched him leave and continued to cry.

At Caroline's house, Matt went to the door. Klaus was there. Matt opened the door.

"Tyler came to see me. Poor boy, he seemed quiet distressed, he said Caroline had a terrible accident."

"You made him do this to her. He would have never done something like this."

"I'm here to help Matt. My blood will heal her, please ask the sheriff to invite me inside."

"I know how this game works. You want something in return."

"Just your support."

"Come in."

Caroline was lying on her bed. Klaus entered the room.

"Are you going to kill me?"

"On your birthday? You really think that low of me?" Klaus said softly.

"Yes." Klaus examined her bite.

"It looks bad. My apologies, you're whats known as collateral damages, it's nothing personal. I love birthdays."

"Yeah. Aren't you like...a billion, or something?"

"Well you have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions. You're free."

"No, I'm dying." Klaus sat on the bed next to her.

"And I could let you die, if that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning. I thought about it myself, once or twice, over the centuries, truth will be told. But I'll let you in on a little secret. There is a whole world out there, waiting for you. Great cities and art and music, genuine beauty. And you can have all of it. You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask."

"I don't wanna die." Caroline said in tears.

Klaus lifted Caroline's head up and offered her his wrist.

"There you go, sweet heart. Have at it." She bit him.

"Happy birthday Caroline."

At the Gilbert house Damon had brought Elena home.

"Thanks for picking me up."

"Anytime. You gonna be okay?"

"I'll survive. Somehow I always do."

"You know Stefan won this round for us today. He pushed Klaus at the edge and Klaus blinked."

"Well his methods sucked."

"Still, we needed it. Klaus has been calling all the shots and Stefan beat him at his own game. He was the better villain."

"Don't sound so impressed."

"Well, I can't help but be a little proud. Really, tell me, are you gonna be okay?"

He caressed her face.

"You can't kiss me again."

"I know."

"I can't. It's not right."

"It's right. Just not right now. Good night."

"Good night, Damon." Elena went inside and watched Damon leave.

At the Gilbert house the next morning, Jeremy walked down the stairs with a large smile on his face, which Elena noticed immediately.

"Jer, what happened to you last night?"

"Nothing…" Jeremy lied.

"Then what's with the smile then?"

"Well…" The door bell rang. "I'll get that."

"Jeremy!" Elena called as she ran after her brother to get the gossip out of him. Jeremy opened the door and Bonnie was standing there.

"Hey Bonnie, why are you here so early?" Elena asked with a smile.

"Umm… Jeremy and I are…um…going on a coffee date."

"What? You are?" Elena said, wide eyed. She turned to Jeremy, "Is that why you were smiling all morning?"

"Yeah?" Jeremy replied but it sounded that he wasn't sure.

"Well you ready?" Bonnie asked, and Jeremy nodded and left

"I don't even know where to start" Elena said walking back into the kitchen.

At Caroline's house, Caroline woke up, her neck was healed. She saw a little box with the inscription "From Klaus". Inside the box, there was a beautiful bracelet with diamonds.

At Klaus' mansion, Kol walked out of his bathroom with just a towel around his waist, holding his cell phone. He looked at the phone, and saw he had a new message from "Katerina". He opened the message and read the text.

"_Kol, hope the plan is going well, let me know when the coffins are opened, I'm not going miss this. Klaus is going down- K_" Kol smiled at the message and remembered the last time he saw Katherine all those years ago.

Flashback to 1491, weeks after Katerina escaped. Kol had received a letter from Katerina the day before, asking him to meet her on the outskirts of town. Kol walked up to the meeting place and saw her standing in a doorway. She saw him and smiled.

"Katerina. I thought I would never see you again."

"You won't Kol, not after tonight. I am going to flee again. But I had to let you know something before I left."

"I will take any secret you have to my grave with me."

"Kol. You wont go to a grave, you live forever, we both do." She said with a smile. "How are things with Niklaus?"

"He has finally forgiven me for helping you escape. What do you have to tell me? I must be taking leave soon"

"Kol, the Petrova line is going to continue. I had a daughter out of wedlock two years ago. There is a possibility that there will be another Petrova doppelganger, however if there ever is…protect her the way you protected me." Katerina was crying, "Kol. I love you. And my love for you will last for all eternity."

"I love you too Katerina. Your daughter will live and your line will survive, I will see to it." Kol said before walking up to Katerina and he kissed one last time before fleeing away back to Niklaus' manor.

Present day, Kol looked at his phone again and smiled.

"I still love you Katerina" He said to himself before going to get dressed.

Matt walked toward Elena on the Wickery Bridge.

"You're not gonna jump, are you?"

"Thanks for coming. I was just thinking about what you said, about us being stuck."

"I was buzzed, Elena. I can't be held responsible being judgmental."

"I do feel stuck, Matt. I feel like, I've been holding on to the girl that was supposed to die here with her parents. The girl who had a normal life, and didn't fall in love with vampires."

"You're not that girl anymore. It's okay if you want to let her go."

"Is it? Cause I feel like I disappointed her a little like, if I disappointed them. My parents."

"My two cents, as a guy who knew that other girl, you're doing a lot better than you think." Matt took some flowers.

"Here lies Elena Gilbert. A fun girlfriend and an amazing friend."

Matt tossed the flowers over the bridge and watched them as they fell. Elena smiled and hugged her friend tightly.

At the Mystic Grill, Alaric was at the bar, drinking a beer. Meredith showed up.

"Thank God, another day drinker. I lost a patient, what's your excuse?"

"Don't have one, just can't face dealing with the kids."

"Yours?"

"No, the ones from school."

"Then you should probably buy me a beer."

In the woods, Liz and Damon were walking to a crime scene.

"A hiker called it in. My guys got here first."

"Another hybrid?" Liz pulled back the blanket covering the body, revealing the body of the man whom Meredith was arguing with at the party. He was lying in a pool of blood with a stake through his heart.

"That's what I thought at first. Brian Walters, the medical examiner."

"What's with the stake? He's not a vampire."

"I know. This was a murder"

**Read and Review. The next chapter will be up within the next week or so, "The Ties That Bind" which will be the same as the episode with the additions of Kol and Rebekah to it, plus Jeremy who hasn't left either so he will feature more and more.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Ties That Bind**

Bonnie was walking through a cemetery. She saw a coffin sitting above ground and placed her hand on it. Klaus appeared behind her, she turned around to face him.

"I figured out how to open it. Can you?" Klaus said as he rushed towards Bonnie and bit her. Bonnie woke up, she was in the coffin. She screamed for help, but no one heard her cries.

"Let me out! Please! Oh my god, oh my god! Fes matos tribum, melan veras, et vasa quisa, exu quisa!" She heard footsteps outside the coffin. "Hey! I'm in here! I'm in here! I'm in here!" A blinding white light shone in Bonnie's eyes as a woman opened the coffin.

At the Abandoned Witch House, Bonnie and Elena were standing in front of the coffins.

"I've been having these dreams for days now. It's like the witches are trying to send me a message."

"I just can't believe that you guys kept this from me this whole time."

"Stefan thought, if you knew where the coffins were, Klaus could threaten people to get the information out of you."

"So, these are the rest of his family?"

"Yeah. Elijah and the other brother, Finn I think Kol said his name was."

"Yeah I can't believe your working with him either" Elena said bitterly, Bonnie just scoffed and pointed to the other coffin.

"This one... is the one we can't open. We don't know who is in it, or what's in it, only that I think my dream's telling me it'll help us kill Klaus."

The door swung open and Stefan walked in with a scowl on his face.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I needed her to know about the coffin."

"And I needed you to keep her out of it, Bonnie."

"So what are you gonna do, Stefan? Are you gonna kidnap me, so that I won't tell anyone?"

"Don't tempt me, Elena."

"Now Now ladies, enough of this bickering!" A voice came from outside the room.

"Kol…butt the hell out!" Stefan barked as the Original walked into the room.

"Gladly…" Kol said as he walked towards Bonnie. "And how is my dear sweet witch today?" Kol said as he lifted Bonnie's hand, placing a kiss on it.

"Eww… Keep your hands and more importantly your LIPS off of me Kol!" Kol smirked "Wipe that smirk off your face or I wont tell you who I think I know can open the coffin. And I need Elena to help me find her."

"Find who? What are you talking about?" Stefan asked.

"I couldn't place her face at first. Then I realized…" Bonnie showed Elena a photo.

"Oh my god, Bonnie." Stefan looked at the photo too.

"Who is this?"

"It's my Mom."

At the Gilbert house, Bonnie, Jeremy and Elena were searching through a pile of papers for Abby.

"Los Alamitos?" Elena asked.

"Too old."

"Honolulu?" Jeremy suggested.

"I wish. How many of these are there?"

"A lot. I asked the sheriff's office to pull up every single Abby Bennett in the country."

"I know you have a lot to deal with Elena, but thank you for helping me with this."

"There's nothing more important, Bonnie."

"It's surreal. Having to track down a woman, who bailed on her own kid."

"You know, you don't have to, right? Let Stefan obsess over opening up the coffin. It doesn't have to fall on you."

"The coffin is spelled shut. That makes it a witch problem. So it does fall on me. I was bound to see my mother again sooner or later."

Damon entered the house.

"Sooner. Abby Bennett Wilson, Monroe, North Carolina. Born in Mystic Falls Hospital, graduated at Mystic Falls High... blah blah blah."

Damon handed Bonnie a paper.

"A little compulsion helps sped up the research process."

"This is her."

"Yep. Road trip. I call shotgun."

"Yea-No." Elena scoffed.

"Want me to hang out in the back with you?"

"You're not coming, Damon."

"Why? I'm the one who found her."

"Okay, Damon. Look. Bonnie hasn't seen her mom in over 15 years. We don't need your snarky commentary narrating the experience."

"Yeah and we don't want Bonnie to have to worry about you Damoning everything up now do we?" Jeremy added.

"Damoning everything up?" Damon asked with narrow eyes.

"Making an ass of things, and getting pissed off at everyone and killing an innocent" Jeremy explained getting a small chuckle from Bonnie.

Damon and Elena looked at each other, a stare that lasted for a long time.

"What's going on with you two?"

"We kissed. Now it's weird. Have a great trip."

Damon left, leaving Elena shifting uncomfortably under the glares of Bonnie and the Forbes house, Caroline came out of her room heading for the door, she saw Tyler sitting in her living room.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize."

"Apologize?! You bit me. I could've died. I think we're way past apologies, Tyler."

"That's the problem. Klaus told me to do it and I said no. And then... just happened anyway. Like, it was completely out of my control. That's why I had your mom call him."

Bill Forbes walked into the room.

"Daddy?"

"Hi, Caroline."

"I thought, since he can resist compulsion, maybe he could teach me to resist the sire bound."

"Can you help him?"

"I'm gonna try."

"Why?"

"Because he made a mistake and now he wants to make good. And I understand that."

Across town at the Mystic Grill, Alaric and Meredith Fell were talking and drinking.

" Do you want anything else? A Beer?"

"I'd love one but I've got rounds in 15 minutes, and a drunk doctor is a bad doctor."

"Well, depends on what kind of drunk you are."

"An angry one. Thanks for lunch."

"Yeah, sure. So...next time dinner?"

"Yeah, that would be great."

"Cool. Take care."

"Bye. Thanks."

Meredith left and Damon came up to Alaric.

"Who's that?"

"My doctor."

"She's a doctor?"

"Mhm."

"What's the damage?"

"No damage."

"Come on, Ric, a fact of life. A girl that hot, that smart... Damage."

"Well, I'm looking for red flags. Her ex called her a psycho case the other day."

"Yeah, but it comes from her ex, doesn't count."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"It's yours."

"I wonder how my ex's would call me?"

"Nothing. They are all dead."

"Hm. well, her ex is the medical examiner so he is dead adjacent."

"She dated the medical examiner?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I don't think he's dead adjacent, i think he's just dead."

"What?"

"Murdered. Sheriff is trying to keep a lid on it because he was staked in the chest like a vampire."

"Well, Meredith didn't say anything about that."

"Well, red flag number two."

"Who do you think killed him?"

"I don't know but if I was a cop, your sexy doctor lady friend would definitely be a suspect."

At Klaus' mansion, Rebekah was pacing her room, practically pulling her hair out with boredom. She pulled her cell phone out and dialled Kol's number. It went to voicemail.

"Hello you've reached Kol, sorry I'm not around to take your call right now, I either can't be bothered talking to you, or Klaus has daggered me again. I'll maybe get back to you when I can…"

"Kol, hurry up and bring down our darling brother or at least step up the hate campaign a little, I am actually considering daggering myself to put myself out of my misery." Rebekah shook her head a little, "Kol, dear sweet twin brother, get your arse home soon or I will dagger us both!" She hung up and threw her phone against the bed.

At the Salvatore Boarding House, Stefen walked into the house to find Klaus was sitting on a chair in the study.

"What are you doing here, Klaus?"

"Enjoying our stalemate."

"What do you want?"

£The question is what you want? My hybrids left town as you demanded, so please tell me what I need to do to get my family back."

"Well, see... Klaus...I'm not negotiating."

"And you understand, that holding them indefinitely is the same thing as dropping them in the ocean?"

"No, No. You leave Mystic Falls and then give me call in a few years and we'll talk."

"I can give you another chance. Just one more. Let's make a reasonable deal."

"Or what? You make one move and I will drop…"

Klaus laughed at Stefan "Yes, right. Crazy Stefan. How is that working out for you? Any friends left?"

In Bonnie's car, Elena and Bonnie were driving to Bonnie's mom's house.

"I just can't belive that I'm actually going to see her. Or meet her. Sort of. Since I don't really remember her."

"You don't really talk about her."

"What's to say? She left, never wrote, never called. Not even when my Grams died. Could we talk about you and Damon instead?"

"I'm not talking about it. He kissed me. It's not gonna happen again."

"I mean... was it good?"

"It doesn't matter."

"That means, it was." Bonnie's cell phone began to ring. "Oh... It's Stefan. I told him I'd call him as soon as I got the address."

"Ignore him. Bonnie, your about to see your mom for the first time in 15 years. I'm not letting anyone ruin that moment."

"Yeah, but he's gonna keep at it until I pick up."

"Fine." Elena answered "What?"

"Where are you?"

"Bonnie and I are gonna spend the night at the lake house, while we'll wait for Sheriff Forbes to give us new addresses."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"No, Stefan, I'm not. We need a night off from your insanity."

"Klaus is getting antsy. He knows that I'm stalling. We need to move faster."

"Well, we're doing everything we can. So, could you maybe not call every five minutes?"

"Sure, Elena. Whatever you say."

Stefan was at Elena's house, he looked at the paper with Abby's address. They both hung up.

Outside the Grill, Klaus was on the phone to one of his Hybrids.

"How's life on the road?"

"Scenic. How's life in Mystic Falls without any hybrids?"

"Boring. For now."

"If you want any of us back, you just have to say the word."

"There's no need. I've been making friends with the town civil servants. There's a deputy, obnoxiously chatty, but useful nonetheless. You're clear, what you need to do?"

"I got it covered."

The Hybrid got out of the car and went up to a house, he rang the bell, a woman opened the door.

"Can I help you?"

"Abby Bennett Wilson?"

"That's me."

At Abby's house, Elena and Bonnie got out of the car.

"Cute house."

"Yeah, in the middle of nowhere."

"You ready?"

Bonnie rang the doorbell, a boy came up the stairs.

"Hey, there."

"Hey, we're looking for Abby Wilson."

"She's not home. Something I can do for you?"

"It's okay, we can come back."

"I'm sorry, but you look so familiar."

"Umm, Abby is my mom."

"Oh... I'm Jamie. You guys want to come inside? Right this way."

In Abby's kitchen.

"You guys sure, you don't want anything? We got fresh OJ, coconut water, some mango guava something."

"Water is fine."

"Cool."

"So, are we... like related?"

"Oh, no. Abby is not my mom."

"Good."

"Yeah, she dated my old man back in the day. He's kind of a deadbeat, so when they broke up she took me in. Put me through school. Didn't freak out when I totalled her car. Twice."

"She sounds... Great."

Abby entered the house.

"Jamie? Whose car is out front?"

"That's mine. I'm Bonnie. Your daughter."

"Hello, Bonnie."

In the Old Lockwood Cellar, Bill chained Tyler up, with Caroline standing beside them.

"How do you know, this is gonna work?"

"That's a process. It took decades, to train myself to resist compulsion. Brain's like a muscle. The more you use it, the more it can do. A sire bound, at its core, is about one thing...gratitude. If you believe you owe Klaus your life, ask yourself why."

"I was cursed. Every full moon I had to change into a wolf. It was torture. Klaus took that away."

"He freed you from your pain and now you feel indebted to him. To break the sire bound you gotta make yourself turn. Own your pain then you'll owe Klaus nothing and you will be free."

"But how can he turn? It's not a full moon.

Bill: He doesn't need one. You're a hybrid now, right? I mean, you can turn at will now, am I right?"

"Yeah, but I don't know how to just start."

"You're making excuses."

"You don't understand! When I turn, I break every bone in my body."

"You asked for my help. This is the only way. How badly do you want your freedom?"

"Okay."

"Okay." Tyler started to turn.

At Abby's house, Bonnie is holding a picture of Jamie in her hands.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'll be fine. I'm not here to get my mom back, I'm just here to get her help."

"So I hope you guys are hungry, cause... food has always been my go to ice-breaker."

"You have a really beautiful home."

"You're so sweet. Just like your mom."

"You knew my mom?"

"Miranda was my best friend."

"So, you had a daughter and a best friend and you still left?"

"My best friend is why I left. 15 years ago a vampire came to town. Looking for you, Elena. Looking for the doppelgänger. No one could manage to kill him. So I lured him out of town and cast a spell to desiccate him in a crypt in Charlotte."

"Mikael. He was an original vampire."

"It took every ounce of power I had. Almost killed me. I recovered. But my magic didn't. My powers never came back."

"And neither did you."

"It wasn't that simple."

"It wasn't? You cast a spell, put Mikael down and then... what? You had to teach Jamie how to drive?"

"Bonnie…"

"This was a mistake. She has no magic. She can't help us."

Bonnie was starting to leave, but Abby ran after her.

"Bonnie, wait, please. Don't go. Talk to me... Please?"

"I'll wait outside."

Outside the house, Elena went to a derelict barn, suddenly Stefan appeared and was standing in front of her.

"Hi, Elena. Nice lake house."

At Mystic Falls Hospital, Damon was waiting for Dr. Fell, after a few moments she arrived.

"You know, we never got a chance to official meet, doctor... Fell."

"You're Alaric's friend, right? Damon Salvatore. I saw you at the council meeting. What are you doing here?"

"Strolling the halls. You know, I like to wave to newborns through the window."

Dr. Fell started to walk away.

"I'm sorry about your boyfriend. Animal attack. Brutal."

"Ex-boyfriend. And thanks. I'm still kind of processing."

"Yeah, I'm sure. You know, I just thought I come by and tell you, that it wasn't an animal attack. But then I realized, you signed the death certificate."

They went into an empty room.

"Would you rather, I say, he was staked like a vampire?"

"Wasn't he the guy, that coined the phrase animal attack?"

"Why do you even care?"

"Because Ric likes you. And if you are a psychopath that would really suck for him"

"You think, I killed my ex-boyfriend?"

"I think psychopaths are incredible high-maintenance."

"If you care about your friend, go figure out, how Alaric came into the ICU on his death-bed and walked out an hour later without a scratch."

"Fair enough."

Damon started to leave but Dr. Fell stabbed him with a vervain shot, taking him down instantly. Dr. Fell started taking a blood sample from Damon and left shortly before he awakes.

Back in the Cellar, Tyler was turning.

" I can't. I can't."

"Try harder."

"Can't he just rest for one second?"

"We're dong this my way, Caroline. If you can't handle it, you should go."

"He's right, Caroline. Just go."

"What?! No! Tyler...!"

"Go, Caroline."

Caroline left. Bill took an axe and repeatedly hit Tyler with it.

"What are you doing? What the hell, man?!"

"Does it bother you?"

"Knock it off!"

"Good. Get angry. It's in you. You know it is." Tyler tries to attack him.

"I said, knock it off!"

"Your bind to Klaus is putting my daughter in danger. Either you turn or I kill you right here, right now."

Tyler moved back and started to turn again.

At Abby's house, Abby and Bonnie were talking.

"You've grown into such a beautiful young woman, Bonnie."

"Please, just stop with the muffins and the compliments. I just wanna know the truth... why didn't you come home?"

"I had no magic. I was in a new city and I realized I had a chance to be somebody else. To be Abby Wilson, the woman... not Abby Bennett, the witch. I'm not proud of what I did, Bonnie. I ran. I know I ran. And you had your dad and your Grams and, let's face it, your Grams is ways better at this stuff then I am."

"You don't know?"

"What?…" Abby asked, then realised what Bonnie meant "How?"

"We were doing a rough spell, and we both exhausted ourselves. Her more than me."

Bonnie started to cry.

"Well she raised you right. I'm sure, she would've been proud of you... Well, now you know my whole story."

"Yep."

"How's about you tell me yours? What brings you to me?"

"It was a dream, actually. I thought, you were supposed to help us. But if you don't have any magic, it's…"

"Not spells, no. But... I'm not completely useless. I mean, the earth still provides herbs and such. There might be something I can do."

"I don't think so."

"Bonnie. Please. Let me help you."

In the barn outside Abby's house, Elena and Stefan were standing in the barn and talking.

"So, what did you think, I wouldn't find it out?"

"Honestly, I didn't care."

"This is exactly why I didn't want you in the loop, Elena."

"Yeah, because now you can't do whatever you want."

Stefan kicked a chair across the barn.

"Damn it!"

Jamie walked into the barn.

"Hey! Everything alright out here?" Jamie asked.

"Hey, Jamie, go back inside, okay? Please, trust me, it's better off for you there."

"I don't think so."

"I'd listen to her. Get back upstairs, man."

"I said, I don't think so."

Stefan grabbed him by the throat and compelled him.

"Go back upstairs, before I tear your damn throat out. Do you understand me?"

Stefan let go of him and pushed him out of the barn.

"I don't think you've realized how bad you've gotten!"

"It's the way it has to be, Elena."

"Oh, yeah, right. Out villain the villain. I get it."

Jamie came back with a shot gun.

"You're not supposed to be here."

"Jamie, what are you doing?"

"What I was told. He's not supposed to be here."

"Elena, he's compelled."

Jamie shot Stefan.

Inside the house, Bonnie heard the gunshot.

"What was that?"

She stood up and went to the door, Abby grabbed her and put a cloth to her mouth, stunning her with herbs.

At Alaric's apartment, Damon walked in and saw that Alaric was training.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ehm... Looking for a bunny. You're good. For now."

"Are you still obsessed of Meredith? I mean, don't you have an original vampire to care about?"

"Ah ah ah, do ten more of those. You're gonna wanna buff up, if you start dating this one. Self-defence and all."

"What's your problem?"

"Your doctor vervained me and then she bloodjacked me."

"What? I mean, when did you even see her?"

"When I went to the hospital, to accuse her of killing her ex-boyfriend. Which by the way, very sensitive subject."

"Damon, what the hell are you doing?"

"Why are you mad at me?"

"I told you, I'd handle this!"

"I proved your theory... diagnosed psycho case. You're welcome."

In the barn, Jamie chained Elena to a post and Stefan was lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Why are you doing this?" Elena asked, trying to break her restraints.

"Stop moving." Jamie snapped.

"Jamie, let me go. Jamie, he needs help!"

"Jamie!" Abby called from the car.

"Bonnie?" Elena yelled.

Abby tugged Bonnie into a car, Bonnie was unconscious.

"Bonnie!" Elena yelled again.

Jamie ran to Abby and helped her.

Back in Mystic Falls, in the cellar, Tyler was still turning, he ripped the steel chains out the walls.

"Oh my god."

"These chains aren't strong enough. You need to leave. Run!"

Tyler attacked Bill.

On a road in the middle of nowhere, Abby and Bonnie arrived, the hybrid was standing beside his car.

"So?" The hybrid said.

"She didn't tell me where the coffins are. The vampire showed up." Abby answered dryly.

"Did Jamie take care of him?"

"He did. But she's not gonna talk now. There's no way. I tried." Bonnie got out of the car.

"Well, you should try again."

"What did you do to me?"

"You'll be fine. But don't try any spells. Those herbs I used muted your magic."

"Where's Elena?!"

"She'll be fine too. Bonnie, listen to me. I need your help. I need you to tell me where those coffins are."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, that man compelled Jamie to kill himself and…"

"Who? Who was he compelled to kill?" Bonnie snapped.

"My-My daughter." Abby said sadly.

"Me? Why would you care?"

"Not you Bonnie, your sister, Shay."

"My what?"

"Please Bonnie, now isn't the time for that now please."

"I can't. This goes beyond you and me." Abby took her mobile phone and began to text.

"All you need to do, is tell me where they are. Then we'll have held up our end of the bargain. Bonnie, please." Abby showed Bonnie the text.

"_Warn your friends"_

In the barn, Jamie came back, Elena was still chained and Stefan was still laying on the ground.

"I've almost got it." She tried to cut the rope with a nail on the post.

"Abby hasn't called yet."

"Jamie, please, just let us go."

"No! Please don't do anything. Look, I don't know why I shot him, I don't know why I'm holding this gun, but if you move or do anything, I will shoot him again."

"Okay, I won't. Who gave you that gun?"

"A man came by earlier today, he gave me a wooden buckshot and told me if anyone got in our way, I'm supposed to shoot him."

"What else did he say?"

"If Abby didn't find the location of some coffins, I'm supposed to shoot Shay and myself."

"Whose Shay?"

"Abby's daughter."

"Well what about me? What did he say about me?"

"I'm not supposed to hurt you."

"Are you sure? Because these ropes are so tight, that it is hurting me."

Elena finally managed to free herself, grabbed the gun from Jamie and knocked him out. She rushed over to Stefan.

"What can I do to help?"

"Every time I move, the wood shifts inside of me. I can feel it scraping against my heart. You need to get the pieces out."

Elena nodded and began to take out the wood pieces.

At the Abandoned Witch house, Damon walked into the room with the coffins.

He heard footsteps,

"Whose there?" Klaus appeared.

"What took you so long? Hiding behind your witchy friends. And in squalor no less."

He broke down, he was in pain.

"Insulting a bunch of dead witches... not smart. I made the exact same mistake first time I came in here."

"Well, you know, the funny thing about witches is, that living or death, they care about their own. A hundred dead witches have a thousand living descendants... And I have no problem, killing every last one of them, if I don't get my coffins back. As we speak, my hybrid friend is prepared to end the Bennett line."

The candles died down, Klaus wasn't in pain anymore.

"Now... please... show me the coffins." There was a light breeze and the coffins appeared.

"Here we are. Where's the third? Show me!"

"Well, here's the thing. They can't. It's not here."

"What did you do?"

"Well, Bonnie gave me and my business partner the heads-up. I didn't have enough time, to get all three, but I did have time to get one."

"I will tear you, limb from limb. And only then, when you're a riving mass of blood and flesh, will I rip your heart from your chest."

"Sorry. The same rules apply. You know, leverage and all. I know you want your family back. But something or rather someone tells me, you want what's in that coffin a lot more."

At the hospital, Alaric waited for Meredith. She came out of a room.

"Want to tell me what you're up to."

"You talked to Damon."

"Yeah, I did."

"He wasn't supposed to wake up so soon. I used enough vervain, to sedate him for hours."

"Well, he drinks it everyday to build up an immunity, so people like you don't get the jump on him."

"I'm not crazy, Ric."

"Really? Then what are you?"

the paramedics were bringing in a severely injured patient.

"You really wanna know? Stick around."

"Is that Bill Forbes?"

In the barn at Abby's house, Elena was still pulling the wooden pieces out from Stefan's chest, but he kept screaming, so she stopped.

"I'm just trying to help!"

"Just get it out, Elena, please. Just get it out."

"Keep screaming, maybe I'll feel sorry for you."

She tried again and finally managed to get it out.

"You've changed. Something is different about you. You're stronger. Tougher."

"You're not the only one, who changed, Stefan. We all had to."

"It's good though."

"There's something I have to tell you. And it's not because I feel guilty, that it happened. It's because I feel guilty, that you don't know."

She pulled another piece of wood from Stefan's chest.

"I kissed Damon."

Stefan looked down, avoiding Elena's eyes. He was clearly upset. Elena was beginning to feel bad. She then sat the wooden pieces on Stefan's chest.

"There. All done." Stefan got up without saying a word and walked away, leaving the doppelganger alone. Again.

At the Originals house, Rebekah was looking through an old book, sighing with boredom. She pulled out her phone and dialled Kol's number for the 10th time in 4 hours.

"Kol for GOD SAKES, Answer your phone! I am bored senseless over here. I can't even watch television or listen to music because I'll alert Nik that I'm awake. And I am starving! I need sustenance from something other than a blood bag from the hospital. I need fresh blood now!" She sighed. "Just call me back, please twin brother, soon"

At Mystic Falls Hospital, Meredith and Alaric were standing in front of Bill's bed.

"What happend to him?"

"He was found in the woods. An actual animal attack. Bite marks and gashes over half his body. Lost about three litres of blood."

"Is he gonna make it?"

"Nope. At least not on his own." She drew Damon's blood up into a syringe.

"What is that?"

"Exactly what you think it is. Vampire blood." She administered it to Bill, the effects beginning to take hold almost instantly. "You wanna to know my secret? I cheat. I'm a doctor and I hate when people die. So when I have the ability to do something about it. I do."

At Stefan's car, Stefan was leaning against his car, Elena was walking towards him.

"Stefan... say something. Please."

"I shouldn't have kidnap you. The car, the bridge, that was too far."

"Thank you."

"But you shouldn't have lied to me today. You can't go off and do things like that, Elena. Not while Klaus is still alive."

"I know. I just... I wanted to give Bonnie a moment with her mother... without everything else getting in the way."

"Without me getting in the way."

"I didn't plan on kissing him."

"You're better than him, Elena. You're better than both of us." Stefan got inside of his car and drove off.

On the road Bonnie was waiting for Elena; she and her mother were talking.

"Elena is on her way. Jamie's safe. He's a little bruised, but he's safe."

"You think the hybrid will come back?"

"You kept your end of the bargain, Klaus usually keeps his. You're willing, to do all this for him... and he's not even your family."

"He is my family, Bonnie. I know, that might be hard for you to hear, but he is."

"So I've got a sister?"

"Yes, Shay, she doesn't know anything about magic or the supernatural world, she has no powers, I was pregnant when I lost my powers, so hers were lost too. I so hoped you wouldn't learn about any of this either."

"Where is she right now? I haven't seen her all day."

"She's at a cheerleading competition out of state."

"Is she happy? Does she know her father? Do you?" Bonnie said with tears in her eyes.

"Shay's happiness is my main priority Bonnie, she's only 15, and no, she doesn't know her father, your father but Bonnie, just because raising her is my priority right now, that doesn't mean that I don't care about you. I want to help you." Abby explained.

"You can't. You've no magic and I don't trust you."

"When I put Mikael down... my magic didn't just leave me. It drifted away. The longer I stayed away from you the weaker it gone. I think, that nature was punishing me for abandoning you. Maybe you can help me get my magic back."

"I thought, you said you didn't want it anymore."

"I don't. But if it's what you wanted... I would do that for you."

In Bill Forbes' room at Mystic Falls Hospital, Tyler entered the room, Bill was awake.

"You're better."

"Yeah. I shouldn't be but I didn't have any say in the matter."

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I lost control. Again."

"I knew the risks, when I decided to help you. So... Was it worth it? How do you feel?"

"Different. A little more myself."

"Then we'll continue tomorrow."

"What are you talking about? I turned."

"Once. To break the sire bound. Turning needs to be painless... and from what I saw today... we're still a long way off."

"I can't put myself through that again."

"You will. Because until you're capable of acting on your own free will, I'm not gonna let you anywhere near my daughter."

At the Gilbert House, Alaric was showing Meredith his stakes and his other vampire hunting weapons.

"You told me your secret. This is mine."

"You're a vampire hunter."

"Semi-retired."

"You're trying to get out of taking me to dinner, aren't you?"

"I just want to be honest. No secrets."

"Okay. Then tell me how you survived getting hit by a truck. Your injuries were fatal. Was it vampire blood?"

"That and…" Alaric started, pointing to his ring, "this ring protects me from death at the hands of supernatural beings."

"A vampire hunter, who can't be killed by vampires. Convenient." Meredith started to slide his ring off his finger but Alaric stopped her. "Are you worried I'm a supernatural being?"

"One can never be too careful." The pair began to kiss softly, then not so softly. Elena came in the front door of the house.

"Oh. Umm-hey. Umm. Sorry."

"I'm gonna go." Meredith said as she headed for the door.

"Okay, yeah, sure, go." She quickly got out the front door and took off.

"Elena, I'm sorry."

"Please, it's okay."

"It's not okay. I mean, it's not even my place. It's your place. It's Jenna's place. It's your family's place."

"The minute that you slept on that couch it became your place too. We needed you and... you stayed. So thank you for that. Hey, look, I know it's hard. But Jenna's gone. And you're allowed to move on."

At the Salvatore Boarding house, Stefan walked in to find Damon's standing in the front of the fireplace.

"Oh, you're still alive. I assume, that means Klaus didn't get his coffins."

"Don't look so happy, I was only able to get one of them out in time. The locked one."

"Probably a good choice."

"Yeah. You know, if you're banking on Bonnie's mom to open it, you're screwed. She doesn't have any powers."

"Doesn't surprise me. Its been that kind of night."

"Is Elena okay?" Stefan sped across the room, spun around and punched Damon in the face.

"I take it, you two had a heart to heart. And I take it, you don't wanna talk about it. Noted. So why don't we talk about this?"

Damon showed Stefan the silver dagger used to kill an Original.

"What did you do?"

In the Original family's house, Rebekah was sitting on her bed, picking her cuticles when the bedroom door opened and Kol appeared. Rebekah got off the bed and walked to the mirror to fix her hair.

"Where have you been Kol?"

"I've been busy, plotting against our darling brother"

"Well I'm sorry to tell you Twin Brother, but 'plotting' isn't really enough, you need to put some kind of plan into fruition."

"Who said I haven't already?" Rebekah's eyes narrowed as she looked at Kol in the mirror.

*Flashback to a few hours ago, Damon and Kol were at the witch house, trying to open the spelled coffin. Damon's phone vibrated, then beeped. He looked at it, and saw a text message from Bonnie. _"Klaus has had Abby compelled to get the coffins location, her stepson and my sister are going to be killed if she failed, I had to tell him. Get the coffins moved…NOW!"_

"Damn Witches! They snap under the slightest bit of pressure."

"What are you talking about Damon?" Kol snapped at the same time as the crowbar he was using did the exact same.

"Klaus knows where the coffins are. We gotta get them outta here now!"

"We won't have time for that. We can only get one out. The spelled one." Damon rolled his eyes but still nodded. "And Damon, if my dear brother is getting his family back, why don't we give him exactly that?" Kol said, opening a coffin and grabbing the dagger from the corpse inside of it.

*Present, Downstairs in Klaus' mansion, a Hybrid was shoving the coffins in a big room, Klaus was standing beside him.

"You've got your family back. Finally. You gonna open them?"

"Not quite yet. I stíll have some unfinished business to take care of."

"What business?" Suddenly, the hybrid started squirming, his eyes went blood red and blood poured from his mouth as he fell to the floor, dead. Elijah was standing behind him with his heart in his hand.

"So, Niklaus…"

"Elijah?" Klaus' eyes bulged at the sight of his big brother.

"What did I miss?" Elijah said dryly, with no emotion on his face. _'I am in trouble now!' _Klaus thought as his brother stared at him, the way he hadn't done in many years.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Bringing Out The Dead**

"You look surprised to see me. So it wasn't you that removed the dagger from my chest?" Elijah said with a smirk on his face.

Klaus shook his head and smiled "You look like you could do with a drink. And we have a lot to discuss, so shall we?" Elijah shook his head and attacked his brother; Klaus flew through the new glass doors he had put up. "Easy. I just finished renovating. You know you have every right to be mad at me. But I kept my word, I reunited you with our family." Elijah attacked him again, Klaus endangered Finn and threatened Elijah with the dagger. "Don't make me do this to you again Elijah!"

"Come on. Use it. I dare you. You'll have Finn to deal with." Elijah said with a smirk on his face. He knew that Klaus wouldn't want to deal with Finn just yet.

"Mikael is dead." Klaus said dryly.

"What did you say?"

"I killed him. With his own weapon. He's gone Elijah. Forever."

"Why do our family remain in these coffins? Finn for over 900 years, Kol for over a century. Rebekah for over 90 years."

"Because of Stefan Salvatore. He holds the one thing keeping me from freeing you. Kol is alive and well, and our dear sister is daggered in her room because she found something out that was too dangerous for her to know. There are things that you do not know about our past, Elijah. Our mother's death." Klaus said as he dipped the dagger into the white oak ash that lay in a jar on the table. "Things I never wanted you to know but I'm ready to tell you now. I only ask that you remember the oath of loyalty you once swore to me."

"What are you doing?"

Klaus daggered Finn again.

"Always and forever. I need you to stand by my side. Be my brother. Help me destroy Stefan and I promise you our family will be whole again."

Klaus closed Finn's coffin lid again.

Upstairs in Klaus' mansion, Rebekah was pacing the floor while Kol lay on the bed staring at the ceiling.

"I cannot believe you undaggered Elijah. That has got to be one of the most ridiculous things you have ever done, and there are a lot of ridiculous things to contend with" Rebekah said in a panic.

"What is so ridiculous about bringing our brother back to life?"

"He is going to be pissed at Klaus, and if he's pissed at Nik, then we will be hearing about it for years"

"Bex, you shouldn't frown as much as you do, the years are finally starting to catch up to you."

"Oh, Piss off Kol. If 'Lijah and Nik kill each other, I will kill you!" Rebekah threatened, and her twin brother just rolled his eyes at her.

At the Gilbert house, Elena walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Alaric was slumped over the counter, rubbing his head, trying to relieve some of the pain he felt.

"Morning" Elena said cheerfully.

"Thought we had aspirin." Alaric groaned.

"Yeah in the vitamins. You're hung-over."

"Yeah, sorry about that, it was a bit of a weird night."

"I told you that you don't have to feel guilty about inviting Meredith over here."

"Oh I know. And I thank you for that. But I do feel guilty for whiskey dialling her at two in the a.m."

"No you didn't."

"Oh, yes I did."

"Oh, was she cool about it?"

"Well, as soon as these aspirin kick in and I remember the conversation, I'll let you know."

On the front porch, Sheriff Forbes rang the doorbell and waited outside; Elena opened the door and smiled at the Sheriff.

"Sheriff Forbes, hi. Is everything OK?"

"This is an unconventional conversation we're about to have. So I hope you'll protect me on it."

"Of course."

"I assume you both heard our medical examiner was murdered the night of the Wickery Bridge fundraiser."

"Yeah. Brian Walters. Why?"

"We've been investigating. Someone drove this stake through his heart." Liz said, whilst presenting the stake used on the murder victim.

"That's one of ours. I mean this is one of a set from your parents lake house."

"That's why I'm here. I haven't told anyone but forensics ran it for prints and found only one clean set." She looked at Elena, with sadness in her eyes. "Yours"

"What?"

At a meadow in the woods, Damon was walking through the tall grass and talking on the phone with Elena.

"So you're the prime suspect, huh?"

"She doesn't think that I did it. She's just trying to find out why somebody used one of my family weapons to kill a council member."

"Well why don't you just ask Ric if his dirty little doctor had access to the weapons."

"You're on speaker phone, dick."

"I'm just saying first suspects usually the right one. Don't get so defensive."

"Brian Walters was killed days ago, right? I didn't show Meredith this stuff until last night!"

"It wasn't Meredith."

"But Brian Walters was her ex-boyfriend and Ric saw them fighting that night."

"It's not Meredith! Okay? I refuse to believe that your luck with women is that tragic."

"Who else knows about your secret little slayer stash?"

"Who doesn't? Got weapons everywhere, here, the school, my loft, your car."

"It's Klaus, it has to be, he's screwing with us."

"What if it was Stefan? He was crazy that night, and you know he was trying to get underneath Klaus's skin, he was capable of pretty much anything."

"Ahh, make's me nostalgic for the time that Stefan was a bunny snacking pacifist, anyway got to go, you'll know more later."

"Hey, where are you?"

"Tea with an old friend." Damon hung up the phone and smirked, Elijah and Kol were standing there looking at the vampire. "Elijah, my favourite original, back from the dead. Clean up nice. And Kol, my not so favourite original, still not dead. Speaking of dead Originals where is sexy Bex?."

"Oh shut up Damon, we're here for a reason. Not to talk about my darling twin sister."

"You left something, in my jacket pocket." Elijah pulled out a note.

"Oh, yeah. "Dear Elijah, let's get together, plot the destruction of your brother, XOXO""

"…Damon." Elijah finished off.

"Were we right to undagger you or are we gonna have a problem?"

"I'm here, let's talk."

"I'll start with an easy question, any idea what kind of Klaus killing weapon could be magically sealed in a mystery coffin?"

Across town at the Lockwood Cellar, Abby, Bonnie and Stefan are going to the coffin, it's in the secret cellar.

"Slow down!" Abby complains as Stefan walked incredibly fast.

"Keep up, we don't have much time."

"Sorry Stefan, but I didn't have a choice." Bonnie said.

"It was a choice Bonnie, you made it and now we have to live with it. You told Klaus where the coffins were and he took them. All of them except this one."

"That's the one that's sealed?" Abby asked.

"Yep. Fortunately it seems to be the one he cares about most."

"Aren't you coming inside?" Stefan stopped at the entrance.

"Vampires can't get in. Damon had to compel a couple of Lockwood-Gardeners to bring the coffin in."

"This is a bad idea."

"Look, if you're really the key to opening up that coffin, I think it's a pretty safe bet you're on Klaus's hit list. So I suggest you hide out here and figure out a way to open up the damn thing."

"I told you, I don't have any powers."

"And I don't believe you. The time's ticking. Won't be long, before Klaus calls his hybrids to find that coffin and kill all of us. So dig deep, Abby Bennett. Scrape out whatever magic you have left." Stefan left the Bennett Witches, when he walked outside, Elena was waiting in the front of the entrance to the cave.

"What are you doing here?"

"Bonnie told me that you guys would be here. I need to talk to you."

"Well, there's nothing to talk about. I'm just focused on getting this coffin open."

"Did you kill the medical examiner?"

"Why would you think I did that?"

"Maybe because I don't know what you're capable of anymore."

"Well, believe what you want, Elena."

"I don't want to believe any of it, Stefan."

"But you had to ask me anyway."

"Stefan…"

"Did you ask Damon... if he killed anybody lately?" Elena didn't answer, Stefan scoffed and left his ex just standing there.

At the Mystic Falls Hospital, Meredith met up with Caroline in the hallway.

"Are you Caroline?"

"Yes. Dr. Fell, hi. Elena told me you helped out my dad."

"I did. Do you think you can get him to be a little more grateful? He spent half the night threatening to get my medical license revoked for saving his life."

"Yeah, my dad's a little set in his ways. He spent his whole life hating vampires, so…"

"So... he's not psyched about it being vampire blood that healed him. Yeah, he made that clear. I'm sorry. my bedside manner sucks, on no sleep."

"So, can I take him home?"

"I signed his discharge papers late last night, just to shut him up."

"Oh, I... he didn't call or anything."

"That's gotta be hard. When your dad hates the one thing you can't change about yourself. I make it my business, to know who the vampires are in this town. Medical curiosity. I don't blab."

"Yeah, we've had our ups and downs."

"Tell your dad I said you're welcome." She left.

"Thanks doctor Fell." Caroline said as she walked over to Elena.

"That was fast."

"Yeah, he's not here. He was already discharged. And she seems perfectly nice by the way... a little intense, maybe. But... I think it's sweet, you wanna make sure Alaric's not dating a total psycho."

"He's my family. I have to look out for him." Caroline was dialling her father's cell number, then she paused and looked distracted "What?"

"I hear it." She could hear her father's phone ringing.

"Hear what?" Elena asked as she tried to catch up to Caroline who was walked through the hospital trying the figure out where the phone she was hearing was.

"My dad's phone."

They went into a storage room. They looked down the aisles until they found Bill lifeless with a knife in his chest in a pool of his own blood.

Caroline got on her knees beside him. "Dad! Dad?"

"Oh my god."

"Don't be dead, don't be dead, don't be dead! Oh my god!" She pulled the knife out. "Daddy!"

"Caroline... He has vampire blood in his system."

"What?!" Suddenly, Bill woke up with a shock.

Back in the Lockwood Cellar, Abby looked at the signs of Klaus's family.

"Is this the only grimoire you kept?"

"It was the only one I needed. So... what is all of this?"

"Family history. About a mother, who loved her children so much, she couldn't bear the thought she might lose them. So she turned them into vampires. One of them is Klaus."

"The one, you're trying to kill with whatever is in that coffin?" Bonnie nodded.

"There's nothing in here, that's going to help us. I've seen most of these spells. What was this?" Bonnie spun the Grimoire around and pointed at a ripped out page.

"That was the spell I used to seal Mikael in the tomb. I burned it and tried to get it out of my head. Didn't work though. Wait... Do you see this?"

Abby pointed to a spell on the page.

"It's a sealing spell. We're trying to open something... Not seal it shut."

"No. Right here. On this side. It's a blood knot. It means, to bind it you need three witches within the same bloodline. Like... three keys to a safety deposit box.

"So... unbinding it, would reverse the spell. Unseal it. But even if we did it together, we still wouldn't be strong enough we need another witch from our family."

"I think I know just where we might find one" Abby said as she pulled out her cell phone.

At the Salvatore Mansion, Damon was in Stefan's room with two shirts in his hands, Stefan walked into the room and glared at his brother.

"Get dressed. We're going out."

"Yeah, sorry, not interested."

"I didn't ask. Elijah, his clone and I have scheduled a very old fashion sit down with you and Klaus. I say go with the black. Makes you look all villainy."

"Klaus won't make a deal, Damon."

"He didn't have to. All we're doing is buying a little time to give our wicked witches a chance to pop-up the top of the coffin."

"So, that's your...uh...plan? Stall Klaus?"

"If you didn't go postal on his hybrids then maybe we'd have some options."

"So you unleashed an original to help him out?"

"Undaggering Elijah was smart, Stefan. You're kidding me? After what Klaus did to him? He's in vengeance mood. Perfect."

"There's nothing smart... about trusting Elijah, Damon. He screwed us over the last time he promised to help us kill Klaus."

"Yeah, the way you've been acting I trust him about as much as I trust you."

"Hm. Well I guess that goes both ways, doesn't it?"

"Oh yes this is about me kissing Elena. Just remember; if it wasn't for Klaus, you would have never become such a dick and that kiss would never have happened. So get ready and get happy. We're going to negotiate a fake truce and I don't want your attitude screwing it up."

At the Hospital again, Caroline and Bill were still in the storage room.

"I compelled the nurse to stay out of this room. You'll be safe here."

"My wound is completely healed. I need something to eat."

"Daddy, why don't you just come lay down and just relax?"

"I can't. I'm too wired and my pulse is racing. It's the effect of my body wanting to transition."

"Well, maybe Doctor Fell can give you something."

"She's done enough." Elena walked into the room.

"I called your mom."

"Thanks."

"Mr. Forbes, did you see your attacker?"

"I didn't see anything. Tried to sneak out the back exit and someone came up from behind."

"Look, we'll figure this out, but in the mean time we need to get you some blood."

"I'm not going to drink any blood."

"You have to. You died with vampire blood in your system. If you don't feed and finish the transition into a vampire then you'll die."

"I understand how it works. And that's what I'm prepared to do. Now get me out of this hospital. I smell blood everywhere." He walked out of the room, leaving his daughter and Elena, the latter of whom was giving Caroline a worried look.

At the Lockwood cellar, Bonnie and Abby were standing by the coffin, Bonnie was lighting the candles needed for the spell, when they heard footsteps coming from down the tunnel.

"Hello?" Bonnie called out.

"Hello?" The person replied. The tunnel was dark, Bonnie could barely see anything. She could see a petite figure walking towards her but couldn't make out who it was. The person came into view. She was a little younger than Bonnie herself. She had dark eyes and long black hair that was lightly curled, like Abby's. Her skin was a little darker than Bonnie's also.

"You made it" Abby proclaimed as she saw the girl. Bonnie spun around, eyes widening.

"Is she…?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes Bonnie. Bonnie, I would like to introduce you to your sister. Shay Bennett-Wilson."

" She's my sister?" Shay asked in disbelief.

"Yes Shay, and we need your help. We need you to tap into your birthright."

"You mean my magic?" Shay asked. Abby's eyes went wide.

"I thought you said she didn't know anything about the supernatural world or about our family's powers?"

"I didn't tell her anything about them" Abby said.

"I've known about them for a while. Now what do you need me for?"

"A spell. A powerful spell that requires three witches from the same bloodline."

"And lucky for us, you have the power we need to cast the spell." Bonnie said as her sister narrowed her eyes.

"Where d'you want me?" Shay asked with a smirk.

An hour or so later, at the Gilbert house, Alaric was putting his weapons on the table, when Elena entered the house.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking inventory. Did you bring it?"

"You mean, did I steal evidence from a crime scene? Yes." She gave him the stake.

"You're right. It's a match. This is from a crawl space in the foyer. Which means, Meredith knew where it was."

"That doesn't mean, she stole it." He showed her other stakes.

"This is from the loft. These are from the duffel in Damon's car."

"Identical to the one that killed Brian Walters." Elena said looking at one of the stakes.

"Damon's car was at the Wickery-Bridge fundraiser, so was Meredith. And that was the night her ex-boyfriend, the medical examiner, was killed. The one who called her psycho."

"Well, she was trying to save Bill Forbes, why would she turn around and try to kill him?"

"I don't know what to think either. You know, but... we'd be idiots to ignore all these facts."

"So what should we do?"

"Well... Get this to the police. Then you should probably be with Caroline."

"I'm sorry, Ric. Please be careful." She took the stake and left the house.

At the Originals mansion, Elijah opened the door, Stefan and Damon were standing outside.

"Niklaus, Kol, our guests have arrived.

"Damon. Stefan. Elijah tells me, you seek an audience. Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilised men, shall we?"

"It's better to indulge him." Kol said with a smirk.

"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus. Fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told, I had to cause you would hear us out."

"Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours."

"Niklaus, that is hardly civilised now, is it?" Elijah said with a condescending tone.

Not long later, the five vampires were sitting at the table, eating and drinking, all except for Stefan. A waitress, clearly compelled was sitting another scotch down for Damon.

"Thank you, love."

"You lost your appetite."

"Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home."

"That's the spirit. Isn't it nice? Five of us dining together? Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?"

"Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier." Damon said with a wink aimed at Elijah.

"Well, Elijah Kol and I have had our share of quarrels over the centuries. But we always make it through."

"Kind of like you and Rebekah, right? Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."

"If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah. And Kol has known for over a thousand years."

"Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad? Might want to dial down the judgment until dessert." Kol laughed out loud at Damon's comment.

"We're here to make a deal, Damon. Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses."

"I'm just saying we have a long evening ahead of us. Pace yourself."

At the Forbes house across town, Elena and Caroline were sitting together on the front porch.

" Did you hear back from Tyler yet?"

"No. And I've left messages for him everywhere. So, does Alaric really think that Dr. Fell did it?"

"He doesn't know what to think."

"What about you?"

"I wish the girl Alaric liked wasn't in the middle of all of this. He deserves to be happy. But yeah, she looks guilty. It's why I told your mom."

"My mom's in there sitting with my dad. And I don't think they've been in the same room this long since I was ten years old. Is there any chance that Tyler did it?"

"What?"

"If Klaus was trying to mess with you and he's sired to Klaus. And, I mean, he does everything that he's told."

"No... no, I don't think Tyler did it."

"I can't just let my father die. You know, I'm... I'm gonna force him to feed."

"Hey... he doesn't want to, Caroline. The only thing your dad has is his choice." Caroline started to cry again.

"I hated him so much for what he did to me. So much. Now all I want to do is save his life."

"Of course you do, he's your dad."

"What was the hardest part for you? When you lost your Dad?"

"Realizing all the things that he wouldn't be there for. The things that... that you just need your Dad for, you know?" Elena scooted over to Caroline and held her in her arms. Matt suddenly showed up and they both looked at him.

"Hey."

"Hey." Caroline said as she got up and hugged Matt.

Back at Klaus' mansion, the five men were still at the table, having finished eating.

"Stefan. Where is the lovely Elena tonight?"

"I don't know. Ask Damon." Klaus laughed.

"I'm sorry, you've missed so much. Uh- trouble in paradise."

"One more word about Elena and this dinner's over."

Klaus continued to laugh silently, as did Kol who apparently found the whole situation hilarious.

"You know what, probably best just to keep Elena in the do not discuss pile."

"You're probably right." Kol agreed.

"Yeah." said Damon.

"It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelganger, still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?" Klaus said to Elijah.

"Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?"

"Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line."

"Well, we're not going anywhere Elijah. Please, do tell." Damon said as he took a sip of his scotch.

"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia, she was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she'd had a child by another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus."

"I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much." Kol said, patting Elijah on the back.

"Wait a minute, so you both loved the same girl?"

"Our mother was a very powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires. Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us, so for a time Niklaus and I... grew estranged. Harsh words were traded, we even came to blows, didn't we, brother?"

"But in the end we realized the sacred bond of family."

"Family above all." Klaus said. Elijah and Klaus raised their glasses.

"Family above all." Elijah repeated as they clinked their glasses together, while Kol just glared at his brothers.

At the Lockwood cellar, Abby, Bonnie and Shay were performing a spell over the coffin. After a minute, Bonnie took her hands out of Shay and Abby's hands and looked at Abby.

"You're not trying! We've been at this for over an hour."

"The spirits are angry with me. For leaving you. Maybe they didn't want me to have my powers again."

"I had all of those dreams for a reason. The spirits wanted me to find you because your my mom. It's not them, it's you. You won't open yourself up to it. You know, Dad never talked about you? And neither did Grams. I had no memories of you. So you know what I use to pretend? That you were dead. It was easier to do that than to wonder why you never came back for me."

"There is no way I can tell you how sorry I am for what I did."

"Yes there is. You can help me. Help us" Bonnie said, pointing to her sister.

"You can do it mom." Shay said with a smile. Bonnie placed her hands over the coffin again, reaching out for Abby's hands. Abby took her daughters hands and they began to recite the spell again. The candles flared up. They stopped chanting the spell and Bonnie goes to open the coffin. It was still stuck.

"It almost worked. I have to call Damon, tell him that we're getting closer. I'll be right back."

"Okay." Bonnie left the cavern, while Abby and Shay stayed behind. Shay heard a noise and looked at the coffin.

"Mom? Did you hear that?" Shay asked, Abby nodded. She walked over to it and reached out to open it, but it opened by itself and all the candles flared up again. Abby gasped.

At Klaus' mansion Damon received a text from Bonnie saying that she needed more time to work at the coffin.

"So, why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of this proposal?"

"That's very simple. Klaus gets his coffin back, in exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, and Elena live happily ever after. No grudges."

"The deal sounds fair, brother."

"I don't think you understand, Elena's doppelganger blood insures that I will always have more hybrids to fight those that oppose me. I will never leave her behind." Klaus got up and started to pace. "Let's say I do leave her here, under your protection, what then? How long before one of you turns her into a vampire? Or worse, how long before she dies caught between your feuding? You see, each one of you truly believes that you're the one that can protect her, and that is simply a delusion. Gentlemen, the worst thing for Elena Gilbert is... the two of you." Damon got up.

"I'm gonna get some air."

"Let me deal with this. Kol, come with me." Elijah and Kol got up and followed Damon, leaving Klaus and Stefan alone.

"All this talk has made me thirsty." A blonde girl came up and stood next to Klaus.

"What do you say Stefan, can I interest you in a little after dinner drink?" Klaus bit her neck and drank her blood.

Elena and Matt walked up to the house.

"Thanks for walking me home." Elena said, smiling at Matt.

"Are you doing okay? This has to bring up a lot for you."

"We've all lost a lot."

"It's this town, it's messed up. None of us should have to live this way."

They walked into the house together. Elena tried to turn on the lights, but they didn't come on.

"That's weird." Elena said.

"Electricity must be out." Matt assumed. They walked into the kitchen, Elena opened a cupboard and grabbed two flashlights, she handed one to Matt.

"Here." She turned her flashlight on.

"I think I have some candles over there."

Elena walked over to the other side of the kitchen and saw a puddle of blood.

"Oh my God!"

"What the hell?"

Elena moved her flashlight beam into the hallway; they saw bloody handprints on the wall. Elena and Matt grabbed knives.

"Matt?"

They followed the bloody footprints out of the kitchen. They went up the stairs, there were more bloody handprints on the wall. Elena got to the top of the stairs and looked around, she saw Alaric lying in a doorway with a knife through his stomach. She gasped and rushed over to him. Matt was right behind her.

"Ric! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Elena went to pull the knife out but Alaric screamed, Matt stopped her.

"No, leave it in! Leave it in! He's lost too much blood. I'm gonna call 911." Elena grabbed Alaric's face and looked at him.

"Ric, look at me. Who did this to you?"

"I don't know."

"Oh my God, there's a lot of blood, Matt!"

"I know, I know, Elena. I know."

"You have to kill me."

"What?"

"Elena, you- you have to kill me."

"Wait, wait, wait, Matt, hang up, hang up. He's right. If he dies a supernatural death, then he'll come back to life and he'll be healed."

"But, how do you know who did this is supernatural?"

"That's what he's saying, we don't but... I'm the doppelganger." She took the knife she grabbed from the kitchen. "That makes me supernatural."

"Elena! No, this is messed up!" Matt cringed.

"He's dying, Matt!" Elena stabbed Alaric through the heart, killing him instantly.

At Klaus' mansion, Klaus was still feeding on the blonde girl, he dropped her to the floor. Dead.

"Delicious. Aged to perfection."

"Well, I guess the only reason you agreed to this evening, Klaus, is to drive a wedge between me and my brother."

"Oh no, you're doing that well enough on your own. Because of Elena, you're gonna lose your brother and you'll only have yourself to blame." Damon and Elijah re-entered the room, but Kol was nowhere to be found.

"What do you say, Klaus? It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter."

"Okay. I offer Elena's future happiness. You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you lot. And to fall in love with a human, maybe that nice football player, you know the blond one?"

"Matt Donovan? Really?"

"Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family."

"And continue the Petrova bloodline. Every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelganger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right Klaus?"

"Consider it a small return on my investment in her well being. See after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life, you know it's what's best for her." Klaus got up and walked towards Stefan.

"So, what do you say Stefan, do we have a deal?" Stefan walked over to Klaus.

"What are you doing?" Klaus held his hand out to Stefan. Stefan grabbed his hand.

"Nice try, Klaus. But no deal." Klaus broke Stefan's arm. He kicked his leg and broke it as well. He pushed his hand into the fireplace, Stefan started to burn. Damon attempted to rush over to him, but Elijah pushed him against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Damon yelled as Klaus continued to hold Stefan in the fire, his arm was badly burnt. "Stop!"

"Now, bring me my coffin before I burn him alive."

"I'll get it." Damon snarled.

"Go with him, brother, you keep him honest. And when you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family."

Over at Caroline's house, Bill was in Caroline's room. Caroline walked in, her eyes all puffy from crying.

"Hey."

"Hey daddy." Bill pointed to a trophy on Caroline's dresser.

"Your first day at regionals."

"Yep. I was afraid to join the squad, but you talked me into it."

"You had nothing to be afraid of, you were so much better than all those other girls."

Bill sat down on Caroline's bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired."

"Can I get you anything? Or um... do you want me to call Steven?"

"No, no, we haven't spoken in a while. Just call him when it's over and the dust is settled, would you?" Caroline knelt in front of her Dad and took his hands.

"Listen, listen to me. I know that you think you made your choice, but you can change your mind. You know, you are strong enough to handle being a vampire. I mean, you're the strongest person that I know."

"Oh, Caroline, my strength is all in my beliefs. Becoming a vampire is wrong, people aren't suppose to cheat death, it's just what I believe. Please respect that." Caroline let go of his hands and stood up and started to cry again.

"God. How can you hate who I am so much?!" Bill got up and gently grabbed Caroline's face.

"Oh, no, no, no, sweetheart, I don't hate you, I love you. You're strong, you're beautiful, you're good. And even after everything that has happened to you, you are exactly who your mother and I hoped you'd grow up to be."

"Please don't leave me, Daddy. Please... please don't leave me. Daddy just don't leave me." Bill hugged Caroline and pet her hair.

"Shh. Parents aren't suppose to outlive their children, Caroline. It's okay."

She kissed the top of her head as she continued to cry. He looked over at Liz who was standing in the doorway.

"This is life. This is what it means to be human."

Back at Klaus' mansion, Klaus was still keeping Stefan in the fire.

"Go ahead and kill me, I know you'll do it when he brings the coffin." Klaus pulled Stefan out of the fireplace.

"You really have given up, haven't you? Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?"

He pushed Stefan. Stefan pushed back. Suddenly, Elijah and Damon re-entered the room.

"Elijah... why haven't you left?"

"Where are you manners, brother? We forgot dessert." Elijah took the cover off a plate a blonde woman was carrying. A silver dagger lay on the plate.

"What have you done?"

"What have you done? You see I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now." Finn entered the room.

"Finn."

"Long time, brother." Finn croaked out. Klaus started to back away. Kol suddenly appeared, he grabs the dagger and stabbed Klaus through the hand.

"Kol, don't!" He rushed away, but ran into Rebekah who was smirking.

"Rebekah?"

She stabbed him with a dagger.

"This is for our mother."

Klaus fell back into Kol's arms. Kol restrained him. Elijah looked at Damon and Stefan.

"You're free to go. This is family business."

At the Forbes house, Bill was lying in Caroline's bed, he had just passed away. Caroline was clutching his hand and crying. Liz walked into the room, she had tears in her eyes. Caroline and Liz looked at each other.

At the Gilbert house, Elena was sitting next to Alaric's body, Matt came up the stairs and knelt down next to her.

"He's still out?" Elena nodded.

"Caroline called. Her dad died. Will you stay with me? Until he wakes up?"

"Of course."

"I can't lose anymore family." Elena started to cry, Matt took her in his arms and comforted her.

In the woods, Damon and Stefan were walking to the Lockwood Cellar.

"Ah, you were right about Elijah. Undaggering him was a smart move."

"Wow, actual acknowledgement of a job well done. You're going soft, Stefan."

"So, I guess I shouldn't thank you for saving me from Klaus?"

"Shut up, you don't get to thank me until I pay you back for all those times you've saved me."

"You could have left me there. Klaus would have killed me and you would have had Elena all to yourself." Damon's phone went off. It was Elena. He ignored the call.

"I didn't do it on your account."

"I love her, Damon."

"So do I." Damon looked at him and walked away.

Elena was on the phone with Sheriff Forbes outside of her house.

"I looked into it, Elena. Meredith Fell was called into surgery six hours ago. She's been in there ever since."

"She has an alibi?"

"Iron-tight in an operating room full of witnesses."

"Then who could it be?"

"I don't know. But the attack on Alaric makes this the third member of the Founder's Council and we just cleared our only suspect."

Alaric woke up and started coughing. Elena hung up her phone and rushed over to him and grabbed his hand.

At the Lockwood cellar, Damon and Stefan entered the cavern.

"Let's hope big witch and little witch got that coffin open."

"Something's gotta make this night worthwhile." They saw Bonnie on the floor, unconscious.

"Bonnie? She's still breathing."

"Mama's still breathing, I can hear her." Damon looked confused, "I can hear someone else breathing too"

"The coffin's open."

"Well, it's not gonna do us any good. Whatever's in it is gone."

At the Originals mansion, all of the siblings were in the one room for the first time in 900 years.

"I like what you've done with the new place, Nik." She threw a vase into a painting. "So nice to see something other than my bedroom."

"What are you talking about Becca?"

"Oh, I've been undaggered for about a week or so. Since I was brought here."

"What? How?" Klaus asked, anger in his voice.

"Me…I conspired with the Salvatore's, I had the coffins that you so desperately desired. I had Elijah undaggered. I wanted you to suffer the way you made my love suffer."

"Katerina?" Klaus asked with a laugh, "She was nothing more than a more interesting pass time than finding shapes in the clouds."

"I hope you enjoy this great big house all by your self." Rebekah said with a smirk on her pale face.

"I wanted it to be for all of us. A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again."

"Well you're right, none of us will be."

"You're staying behind." Kol snarled, "Just like I originally planned."

"We're leaving you, Nik. Right after I kill that doppelganger wench, then you will be alone. Always and forever."

"If you run, I will hunt all of you down." Klaus yelled.

"Then you'll become everything you hate. Our father." Elijah said calmly.

"I'm the hybrid! I can't be killed! I have nothing to fear from any of you." Klaus screamed, Kol shook his head and smirked.

"You will when we have that coffin." They all heard a door open. They turned around. All of their eyes went wide, almost cartoon like. It couldn't be…could it? Their long dead mother, Esther had just walked in.

"Mother?" Esther walked towards Klaus.

"Look at me! Do you know why I'm here?" Klaus had tears in his eyes. His fear was apparent.

"You're here to kill me."

Esther shook her head. "Niklaus, you are my son and I am here to forgive you. I want us to be a family again"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Dangerous Liaisons**

Outside of Mystic Falls Hospital, Matt and Elena were walking back to their cars, having just taken Alaric to hospital after his brutal attack only hours before.

"How's Mr. Saltzman?"

"Resigned to spending the night in observation, so long as I promise to change the lock on the house. So I talked to Bonnie earlier. She and her mom are fine. Have you talked to Caroline?"

"Yeah, she's holding it together, considering how close she and her dad used to be. Any word on who's behind these attacks?"

"No, Sheriff Forbes said there's no real suspects at all." They get to Matt's truck but he doesn't get in. "how are you dealing with everything? I mean, you keep getting dragged into all of this."

"Honestly... I'm kind of lucky, the only thing that I have to worry about for tomorrow, is showing up for my shift at the grill."

"Thank you, for everything today, really."

"Get home safe."

"Thanks." Matt drove away, Elena got into her car and started to drive away, but she drove over something. "What the…?" She got out of her car and checked her bumper. There was nothing there. Suddenly, Rebekah appeared.

"Drive much?"

"Rebekah?" Rebekah grabbed Elena and pushed her into her car.

"Surprised? You drove a dagger through my back, Elena. It hurt." Rebekah tried to bite Elena, and Elena screamed. Elijah appeared, stopping Rebekah from harming the doppelganger. "Elijah." Rebekah yelled in anger.

"Leave." Rebekah scowled and stepped forward. "Are you challenging me?"

"You're pathetic. Both of you." Rebekah disappeared without a trace."Well... I believe we have a little catching up to do." Unbeknown to either of them, they were being watched from a distance. But by whom?

The next morning in the Gilbert Kitchen, Elena, Jeremy and the Salvatore boys were sitting talking about what Elijah told her the night before.

"It was their mother Esther who was sealed in that coffin.""As in the Original Witch?" Stefan asked.

"What? How is she even alive? Thought her hybrid freak show of a son ripped her heart out a thousand years ago."

"I don't know. I'm guessing she has a couple connections in the witching community. Elijah said that she wants to live in peace with her family, including Klaus."

"I thought that she was supposed to be the weapon to help us kill Klaus?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, not anymore... at least not according to Elijah."

"That coffin was the only thing stopping Klaus from tearing us to shreds."

"Anyone else feeling a little used right now?""Look, Elijah promised me that his family wouldn't hurt any of us." The doorbell rang. "I believe him." Elena went and opened the door.

"What is it? "It's an invitation. "Please join the Mikaelson Family, this evening at seven o'clock. For dancing, cocktails and celebration." There's one here for you too Jer."

"Who the hell are the Mikaelson's?" Jeremy asked. "The Original Family."

"It's not bad enough they're moving into town, now they want a housewarming gift?"

"Wait, there's a note on the back. "Elena, I think it's time that we finally meet, Esther"."

At the Original's Mansion, music was playing whilst all the Originals were getting ready.

"Rebekah? Tell me how handsome I am." Kol said cockily.

"Oh Kol, you know I can't be compelled." Finn grinned, the door burst open and Klaus barged in.

"You went after Elena? What is wrong with you?!"

"Here we go."

"Do you want another dagger in your heart?"

"Again with the dagger threats? Don't you have any other tricks?" Kol said angrily.

"Oh, go back to staring at yourself."

"And who are you, my father?"

"No, Kol, but you're in my house."

"Then perhaps we should go outside."

"Enough! Niklaus...come." Esther appeared in the room. Klaus went into another room with his mother.

"You weren't even out of your box a day before Rebekah tried to ruin my life. What happened to peace, acceptance, family?"

"You put daggers in their hearts. You want them to go down on their knees and kiss your feet for reuniting them?"

"So it's a crime to want our family to be as we were?"

"You need to give it time, Niklaus. I've had a thousand years on the other side to be angry and to heal. I'm here to make sure this family does the same."

"I just don't understand. I killed you, and still you forgive me."

"Its been my dream for a thousand years that this family could be as one. Forgiveness is not a chore. It's a gift. Now, who are you bringing to the ball this evening?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You're lucky I'm even going." Klaus said with a cheeky smile on his face.

"Well, I wish you would reconsider. It is going to be a magical evening."

At the Gilbert house again, Elena, Stefan, Damon and Jeremy were in the living room talking.

"If Esther wants to talk to me, maybe I should find out why."

"Well that's a dumb idea, she already tried to kill you once."

"No, Elena is right. Bonnie was led to open that coffin for a reason. I think there is more to this than just some family reunion."

"Can we go back in time where the old Stefan cared if Elena lived or died?"

"What for? It's your job now."

"Stefan has a point, Damon. I should find out what she wants."

"You can't protect yourself Elena." Jeremy said sadly.

"Okay fine, then I'll go." Stefan snapped.

"You've pissed off enough Originals to last a lifetime. I'll go." Damon snatched the invitation out of Elena's hand.

"Hey!"

"End of story."

At the Forbes house, Caroline was about to leave the house where her phone went off, it was a voicemail from Tyler._"Caroline, it's Tyler. I know I should have called sooner, I just kinda freaked out and left. But I heard about your dad and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry Caroline. I'm out doing what he said. I'm gonna fix myself and come home to you. I love you." _

Someone knocked on the door. Caroline opened it and found an invitation to the ball from Klaus and a box. Caroline Scoffed at the sight of the box.

"Seriously?" Caroline opened the box and saw a beautiful blue dress. She placed the lid back on the box and left the house.

Half an hour later at the Mystic Grill, Elena was with Caroline and Bonnie at one of the booths.

"It's all so weird. The Originals are throwing a ball. Like an actual ball."

"It's some twisted Cinderella fetish is what it is. And why does the Evil Witch want an audience with you?" Caroline commented.

"I have no idea. There's only one way to find out."

"I thought you told Damon and Stefan that you weren't going." Bonnie asked.

"I did, which is all the more reason why I need a drama free bodyguard." Elena said looking at Caroline.

"Well I'm gonna be there too, Jeremy invited me." Bonnie interjected.

"Well, I think a Salvatore would look a lot better in a tux. And by that I mean Stefan." Caroline said, none to subtly.

"Uhh, I can't deal with either of the Salvatore's right now. Whatever Stefan is feeling, he is channelling it all against Klaus. And Damon...it's just not a good idea."

"Why, cause you two made out?"

"Caroline!" Bonnie said loudly. "Sorry Elena, you know how she is, I had to tell her."

"I was gonna tell you. Just, after everything happened with your dad.…" "Elena, when you and Matt kissed for the first time freshman year, you called me the second it happened. And now I don't hear about this till now, and from somebody else."

"I'm sorry. It's just I, I don't even know how I feel about it yet. All I do know is that it just used to be so much easier."

Rebekah walked up to their booths.

"Careful Caroline. It's all well and good until she stabs you in the back."

"What are you doing here? I know your mom's rules. No hurting the locals."

"Get over yourself Elena. It's not all about you." Rebekah walked away and gave Matt an invitation to the ball ."Oh my god. She's inviting him to the ball. Why is she inviting him?"

"Probably to get this reaction from us."

"What time is this stupid dance?" Caroline asked, and Bonnie laughed.

At the Mikaelson Manor, music was playing, the guests were making idle chit chat.

Mayor Lockwood was standing alone at the foot of the stairs, looking somewhat uncomfortable. Damon spotted her and walked over to her with a wide smile on his face. "Hello Carol."

"Hello."

"Hanging out with your new besties?"

"I'm the mayor, Damon. When the oldest, deadlist, family of vampires moves into your town, you welcome them with a smile."

"Hmm, Well at least you know who you're borrowing that cup of sugar from."

"I'm trying to protect this town. They've assured me they want peace, and I've assured them that I'd enforce it."

"Mayor Lockwood. We haven't formally met. Kol Mikaelson. I hope your lovely town embraces us just as much as we plan to embrace it."

"Good evening Kol, how's your mommy?" Damon said sarcastically.

"Damon, we may have had an alliance, but mention my mother again, and I will rip your heart from your body and make you eat it." Kol snarled and walked away. The front door opened and Elena walked in wearing a gorgeous black and gold gown."Excuse me, Carol." Stefan and Damon walked up to meet Elena.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Stefan said dryly.

"Surprise, surprise. Nice tux. You're not supposed to be here."

"Well, I am. And I'm not leaving until I find out what Esther wants. So, shall we?" Both Salvatore's escorted her into the party.

The door opened again and Caroline walked in wearing the blue gown Klaus bought her. Klaus noticed Caroline from across the room and walked over to meet her.

"Good Evening."

"I need a drink."

Bonnie and Jeremy walked into the room, wandering around looking for Elena and The Salvatore's.

"I can't believe Elena actually came here." Bonnie said sadly.

"Well wouldn't you? The witch whose responsible for the Originals wants to meet you, and you say no? Come on Bonnie." Jeremy laughed.

"Come on, lets get a drink or something" Bonnie said as she walked away, making Jeremy laugh more.

Finn walked up to Elena.

"Elena Gilbert, I presume? I'm Finn Mikaelson. You're here to see my mother."

"Is she here?"

"Her request did not include your friends.""They're protecting me. You may not know but your mother's already tried to kill me once."

"If you want to see my mother, you'll need to be alone."

Elijah's voice began to boom out from the foyer, and Finn and Elena walked out to see the oldest original making a speech.

"Uh, if everyone could gather, please." Finn stepped onto the stairs beside his brothers and sister. "Welcome, thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance."

Esther came down the stairs and looked upon the guests.

"Do you see who I see?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."

Esther retreated silently back upstairs. Elena moved to go upstairs, but Damon blocked her way."Don't even think about it."

"She wants to see me alone, Damon."

"Well sucks to be her then. Was I not clear this morning?"

"I was invited."

"You have to tell me before you walk into a lion's den."

"Why so that you can stop me?"

"Uhh..Yes!" Damon extended his hand towards her. "It would be rude not to dance, you know." Elena glared at him but took his hand.

"It is tradition." Damon and Elena walked out to the ballroom as Stefan watched them.

In the Ballroom, Everyone was dancing the waltz. Including the Originals and the Salvatore's

"You look stunning, if it isn't obvious."

"Thank you."

Caroline and Klaus were dancing together."I'm glad you came."

"Well, it was either caviar or sympathy casseroles."

"I heard about your father."

"Don't. Seriously."

"Very well. On to more mannered subjects then, like how ravishing you look in that dress."

"I didn't really have time to shop."

"And the bracelet I gave you, what's your excuse for wearing that? You know, you're quite the dancer."

"Well, I've had training. I happen to be Miss Mystic Falls."

"I know."

Bonnie and Jeremy were dancing together too.

"Why the Hell is Caroline dancing with Klaus?"

"I don't know Bonnie, but she's a big vampire now, she can look after herself."

"He's a Hybrid Jer, he could kill her in a heart beat."

"I don't think he will Bonn, he looks like he likes her" Jeremy said with a smirk on his face.

"God, that's worse than him killing her." Bonnie laughed out.

Elena and Damon were still dancing. Damon twirled her around and she was suddenly in Stefan's arms. They danced together.

"Hmm. He dances, and I didn't even have to beg."

"Well Mayor Lockwood dragged me out here. Couldn't exactly say no."

Matt and Caroline were dancing together.

"What are you doing? Why are you here with the She-Devil?"

"What was I supposed to say, no? And why the hell are you here with Klaus?"

"Don't even get me started."

Stefan and Elena were still dancing, "Took you about 30 seconds to put Damon in a mood."

"He's just looking out for me."

"I think he needs to figure out that you can look out for yourself."

"I need to talk to you."

"Ok, so talk."

"Not here." Stefan and Elena left the floor together.

Rebekah and Damon were dancing.

"Stop staring. It's creepy.""Of course she looks beautiful. Nik gave her everything she's wearing."

"Well, you're no dog yourself."

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Heh. You tried to kill Elena last night. You don't get compliments."

"Caveman."

"Where is Elena?"

Bonnie was now dancing with Elijah, who surprisingly, was a really good dancer.

"You know, my family was very close to your ancestor Miss Bennett."

"Really?" Bonnie asked with a smile.

"Yes, she was my mother's best friend, and she was a very powerful witch who was incredibly gifted with her craft."

"Wow, that's so cool" Elijah spun her around and Bonnie saw something and gasped.

"What's the problem?" Elijah asked, as he looked in direction Bonnie was looking.

"My sister's here. Why is my sister here?"

"Excuse me." Bonnie said as she looked around and then ran off in the same direction as her sister was.

Outside the Mansion, Elena and Stefan were talking.

"If Esther is secretly on our side, we need to know. But I can't get to her with two bodyguards."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Damon won't let me anywhere near her without protection. And you care about killing Klaus more than you care about anything. So...What, am I wrong?"

"No, you're not wrong. What do you need me to do?"

"Make sure that I can get into that room with Esther. Alone."

"You sure you can do this?"

"I can do this." Elena started to walk away but stopped and turned around.

"When we were together you used to let me make my own decisions. You trusted me. After all this at least that hasn't changed."

In the foyer, Bonnie ran towards her sister and her mystery date.

"Shay what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was invited. I'm a plus one." Shay said cryptically. "I'm here with my friend Luke." A young man, with sandy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, dressed from head to toe in a tuxedo, walked towards the Bennett sisters. "Bonnie, this is Luke."

"Nice to meet y-" Bonnie started but was cut off by Luke who held his hand up.

"Excuse me ladies." Luke said in a British accent.

"He's British and cute?" Bonnie laughed. Across the Foyer, Kol walked up to his twin sister and smirked.

"Where's your date?""Flirting with his ex."

"You've changed, Bekah. You know, settling for mortals is the first sign of weakness."

"I'm not settling. I brought him here to kill him. He's Elena's friend. If he dies she suffers. But I've already been scolded once so I was hoping you'd help your twin sister out."

"And spit right in the face of mother's rules?" Kol said, feigning innocence. "I'm in."

In the Library, Damon walked in and saw his brother looking out the window."Got your text. What are we doing in here?" Stefan turned around and smirked. He sped forward and broke Damon's back.

"Better hurry up, he won't be down for long." Stefan said as he turned to Elena who ran out of the room.

In the Hallway, Elena was walking down the hall. Elijah appeared beside her.

"Elena. I understand my mother requested to see you."

"Uh, yeah. Why, is something wrong?"

"Well, her ability to forgive my brother after everything he's done to destroy this family strikes me as a little strange to say the least."

"Do you think that it's an act?"

"It has me asking questions I never thought I'd ask. Can I depend on you to tell me what she says?"

"Of course. I'll find you later, okay?"

In Esther's study. Finn was sharpening a knife while Esther was burning some sage. There was a knock on the door

"That could be the girl." Esther said as she pointed to the door. Finn nodded and opened the door.

"You're alone. Wise choice."

"It's only sage. I've spelled it so we can speak freely without fear of being overheard. That'll be all Finn, thank you. (Finn leaves.) You must have a million questions for me Elena. Please." They sat down on the sofa.

"How are you alive? Are you a ghost? Or…"

"Not exactly. When I died the witch Ayana preserved my body with a spell. She was a close friend of mine, an ancestor of your friend Bonnie."

"So that's why only Bonnie and her mother and sister could open up the casket."

"They complete the Bennett bloodline. I drew power from them and their ancestors who were with me on the other side."

"So you've been on the other side for a thousand years?"

"Nature's way of punishing me for turning my family into vampires. But there is a way for me to undo the evil I created."

"You're gonna help us kill Klaus, aren't you?"

"One thing at a time Elena. For now, I simply need your help."

Outside the mansion, Caroline was admiring the horses. Klaus approached her.

"You like horses?"

"I'm not talking to you until you tell me why you invited me here."

"I fancy you." Klaus said honestly and Caroline laughed out loud. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes!"

"Why? You're beautiful, you're strong, you're full of light. I enjoy you."

"Well I'm spoken for. By Tyler."

"But I thought you two ended things."

"Yeah, because of you and your freaky sire bond with him."

"So you aren't spoken for. You know, horses are the opposite of people. They're loyal. My father hunted me for a thousand years and the closest he ever came was the day he killed my favorite horse. He severed its neck with a sword as a warning."

"Did you ever consider sitting down with your father and talking it out?"

"Well, I'm afraid my relationship with my father was a little bit more complex than yours."

"Maybe so. But I let my father go with no regrets. And to answer your question, yes, I like horses. But I also like people and they actually like me so I'll be inside."

Caroline left Klaus alone.

Back in Esther's study. Esther poured Elena a drink and sat back down.

"I understand Rebekah shared the story of my family. How I upset the balance of nature by turning my children into vampires."

"She said you did it to protect them from the werewolves."

"It's true. But in no time at all, they began to feed on human blood. They ravaged the town with no remorse. Eventually, Niklaus turned against me."

"How are you gonna kill him? He's immortal."

"It will take time, magic, and your assistance."

"What do I have to do with it?"

"My children believe I'm holding this ball to celebrate our reunion. But in truth I've gathered them together to perform a ritual. The first step requires blood from the doppelganger. Only a drop. Its essence will be in the champagne toast later on this evening. Will you do it or shall I?" Elena removed her glove and gave her finger to Esther to prick. "Elijah is more suspicious than the others, so he may need more persuasion. But they must all drink at the toast in order to be linked as one."

"What do you mean "linked as one"?"

"You said yourself Klaus can't be killed. But tonight's spell links all my children together, so that if one goes, they all go."

"What?"

"I love my family, Elena, but they are an abomination. I betrayed nature when I created them. It's my duty to kill them."

Downstairs in the foyer, Bonnie and Shay were standing talking.

"So how do you know Luke?" Bonnie asked.

"He's a friend from school. Known him for about a month or so."

"He's cute, but he looks really familiar." Bonnie said, looking around for her sisters date. "Where is he anyway?"

"He had some business to take care of." Shay said cryptically.

"Can I just ask you something?"

"Depends…what is it?"

"Do you wanna ditch the party, leave here with me and my boyfriend and get some coffee, and maybe get to know each other a little?"

"Sure, I'll just say bye to Luke and we can get outta here."

Across the foyer, Kol grabbed Rebekah and dragged her to the side.

"I'm itching to kill something. What are we waiting for?"

"The mayor cornered me. Give me fifteen minutes to lure Matt outside."

"Outside? What's wrong with right here on the stairs? Make a spectacle of it."

"You sound like an idiot, Kol. Mother would kill you if you ruined her party. See you outside."

In the Library, Damon began to wake up and Stefan helped him

"Easy, buddy. Don't want you doing anything stupid."

Damon got up and went after Stefan.

"Where's Elena?"

"Exactly where she belongs, talking with Esther."

"What did you do?"

"Ah, don't blame me. This was all her right down to the broken neck. You know, maybe you should stop being such a controlling dick, Damon."

"Wait. Hang on. I'm the problem here?"

"You're a liability, brother."

"I'm trying to keep her alive, Stefan."

"Yeah, well, your emotions are getting in the way of our plan."

"My emotions? How is this even happening right now?"

"Maybe because you care too damn much."

In the parking lot, Rebekah and Matt were walking.

"So...What are we doing out here?"

"Just taking a break from the polite chit chat."

"It's freezing. Let me get my coat."

"This is your car?"

"Yep. If I could compel myself a Maserati, I would. But I can't." He put his jacket over Rebekah's shoulders.

"Oh.. I'm a vampire. We don't-Thanks. Lets go back inside. I got all the fresh air I need."

Kol was standing in the background noticeably upset.

Back in the Foyer, Elijah walked up to Elena.

"So how was my mother?"

"Intense."

"And for what reason did she need to speak with you in private? Elena? Should I be concerned about my mother's intentions?"

"She just wanted to apologize for trying to have me killed."

"So it's true, then? She's forgiven Klaus?"

"It's true." Elena said as Esther appeared on the stairs, clinking her glass.

"Good Evening, Ladies and Gentleman. Waiters are coming around with champange. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy then to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" The guests all said in unison. All the originals were drinking the champagne laced with Elena's blood. Kol, Rebekah, Finn, Klaus, and Elijah, all with Elena's blood in their systems.

"Cheers." Elena and Elijah clinked their glasses together.

In Klaus' room, Caroline was admiring Klaus' private art collection.

"So what did you want to show me?"

"One of my passions."

"Oh. Impressive. I take it the curators at the Louvre aren't on vervain."

"Yeah, well that's their mistake." Klaus said with a chuckle.

"What about these? Where'd you steal this from?" Caroline asked picking up a diamond necklace.

"Well, that's a long story. But rest assured it was worn by a princess almost as beautiful as you." Caroline rolled her eyes expressively, Klaus looked away in embarrassment. She looked down and notices some sketches.

"Wait a second. Did- did you do these?"

"Yeah, um... actually one of my landscapes is hanging at the Hermitage, not that anyone would notice. Have you been?"

"I've never really been anywhere."

"I'll take you. Wherever you want Rome. Paris. Tokyo?"

"Oh wow." Both of them laughed. "Must be really nice to just snap your fingers and get whatever you want. Is that why you collect hybrids? A little servant army to take you places and bring you things." "You're making assumptions."

"Then why do you need Tyler? Stop controlling him. Give him his life back."

"You know, this has been a fun evening, but I think it's time for you to leave."

"I get it. Your father didn't love you, so you assume that no one else will either. And that' why you compel people or you sire them or you try to buy them off." Caroline takes her bracelet off and throws it on the table. "But that' not how it works. You don't connect with people, because you don't even try to understand them." Caroline walked out leaving Klaus visibly upset.

Under the stairs, Kol spotted his sister and walked over with a scowl on his face.

"There you are. I was waiting outside for you. Where's Matt?"

"About that, I, uh- I changed my mind. I don't want to ruin mother's night."

"Don't tell me you like this boy. What did he do? He gave you five seconds of his attention?" Kol sighed and shook his head "Don't be so predictable Rebekah."

"You don't have to be rude about it. Just leave him be, ok?" Rebekah walked away angrily.

"As you wish, sister."

In the Foyer, Damon walked up to Elena.

"Elena. Did you get what you want?"

"Actually, yes."

"Good, tell me on the ride home. We're leaving. Come on."

"Uh no, Damon let go of me. Look, I'm sorry that I had to cut you out of the plan."

"There shouldn't have been a plan. You shouldn't be here."

"Do you think I like going behind your back? I don't. But if I hadn't asked Stefan to help, then you would've tried to be the hero, and it would've ruined everything."

"Sorry for trying to keep you alive. Clearly Stefan doesn't give a crap anymore."

"Now you're mad at me for including Stefan?"

"No, I'm mad at you becauseI love you!"

"Well, maybe that's the problem." Damon was visibly rocked by this. "No. That's not what I-"

"No, I got it, Elena. I care too much, I'm a liability. How ironic is that?" Caroline came up to them.

"Have you guys seen Matt?"

On the Balcony. someone, clearly Kol, whispered out Matt's name. Matt looked around but no one was there. He turned away and look back and Kol was sitting on the ledge.

"Good evening, your Rebekah's friend, we haven't met."

"Matt Donovan."

"Kol Mikaelson." Kol and Matt shook hands; Kol smirked. He was breaking Matt's hand. Matt started screaming in pain. Damon heard it and rushed to the balcony.

"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey." Damon said over Matt's cries of pain.

"Easy on the hand, guy's a quarterback." Kol looked up at his former ally and growled. Damon smirked and sped up and pushed Kol over the balcony, jumping after him. Damon then beat up Kol and snapped his neck. Stefan ran out of the house and saw what Damon had done.

"Damon! Are you crazy?" The rest of the Mikaelsons and Elena came out and saw what happened.

"Maybe a little. Far be it for me to cause a problem." Damon said, aiming his comment at Elena. He got up and walked away. Elijah shook his head and looked up, he had the feeling he was being watched. He saw someone he recognised. But he shook it off. _It's just my imagination._

In Caroline's bedroom, Caroline left a message for Tyler on his answer phone.

"Tyler, it's me. Look, I'm grateful for what you're doing, but... I miss you... and I really wish you were here." She hung up the phone and turned around and saw another present from Klaus on her bed. "Seriously? Just give up already." Caroline opened the present, it was a hand drawn picture of her and a horse, there was a note from Klaus. "Thank you for your honesty, Klaus"

In Esther's study, She was pacing the floor, looking incredibly angry while Elijah stood there like a small child being yelled at by his mommy.

"No violence, that was all I asked. Rebekah and Kol disgraced our family tonight."

"It won't happen again, mother. I'll deal with them."

"Thank you, Elijah. I wish the others were more like you." Elijah left, passing Finn who was coming into the room. He closed the doors behind him.

"Are we alright to speak freely?"

"Yes, the sage still burns." Esther began writing her children's names on a piece of paper in Runic handwriting.

"You aren't having second thoughts, are you?"

"Of course not, it's just Elijah. He's so moral."

"You're doing the right thing, mother."

"You understand what this means, don't you? This spell I'm casting tonight will bind you all together as one."

"I understand. When it is time, I will be ready to die."

"Then we must complete the link." Esther cut Finn's hand and the blood spilt onto the paper. She started to recite a spell. "Phasmatos inta grum vin callus... Amalon callagius accodam.. Cosom naben dox... Callagius amalon... Gaeda callagius ceremum... Phamato descendium vinum... Phasmatos inta grum vin callus.. Cosom naben dox.

The link is complete. You are one." The blood spreads over all of the names and then the paper began to burn.

At the Gilbert house, Stefan walked Elena inside.

"So uh, Esther wants to kill her whole family. How is that for mother of the year?"

"Yeah. And I got to look Elijah right in the eye and lie to him about it."

"Well, good. I can't say I'll be sorry to see any of them go."

"I just signed their death sentences, Stefan."

"No, you signed Klaus's death sentence, Elena. Everyone else is just collateral damage."

"It's not that simple."

"Their family has brought you nothing but darkness, Elena. It is that simple. So, uh...where's Damon? I would think that he'd wanna make sure you got home safely."

"I'll call him and let him know."

"What was with him going after Kol? I thought they were sorta, kinda friends?"

"Apparently not. But it's just Damon being self destructive. I said something I didn't mean."

"So did I. Anyway, uh, good night." Stefan went to leave, but Elena went after him.

"Stefan. Did you really not feel anything?"

"When?"

"How do you do that? Act like you don't care, like you don't feel anything? Because I can't do that. I... I feel. I feel everything."

"Elena, stop."

"I'm not going to stop, Stefan, because I don't believe that you feel nothing."

"What? You think I want to be this person? I hurt you, Elena. I bit you. I hate myself for what I did to you." Elena grabbed Stefan's face in her hands.

"Then show it! Do something, Stefan, anything is better than trying to convince me that you don't care."

"I can't."

"Stefan." Stefan grabbed Elena's wrists and removed her hands from his face.

"If I let myself care, all I feel is pain." Stefan left. Elena was visibly upset.

At the Mystic Grill Matt was sitting at the bar, drinking coffee in one hand, the hand Kol hadn't broken. Rebekah walked up to him.

"Hi. What are you doing?"

"Well let's see, I went to a dance and got my hand crushed. I found out that I don't have health insurance, so I just needed a minute to myself."

"Well, I thought, maybe I'd buy you an apology drink."

"Maybe you could just leave me alone."

"Look, I'm- I'm really sorry about Kol. He's a lunatic."

"Look, Rebekah, you're really fun and pretty and all, but I really need you to leave me alone." Matt got up and left. Damon walked up to Rebekah.

"Burn. Rejected by the captain of the football team. Welcome to adolescence."

"Shut up, Damon. Knew I should have killed him. Mother wouldn't let me."

"Well... never let people tell you what to do." Damon poured a shot for himself and Rebekah. "Besides... you would have broken him in a second."

"Are you suggesting I can't be gentle?"

"No. I'm just saying that you should find someone a little more durable. That's all."

"And who would that be?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

Damon and Rebekah entered Damon's bedroom, in a heated make out session. They began to rip each other's clothes off and Damon continued kissing Rebekah on the neck.

Back across town at the Mikaelson Mansion, Elijah walked downstairs again and heard a noise. He looked around and saw no one. He went towards the Ballroom and heard a voice from behind him.

"Elijah" Elijah turned around slowly to see who was brave enough to challenge him.

"You? How? I thought you were-" Elijah stuttered out as he saw the face of his challenger. Tears began to fall from his eyes. "But you should be dead. You died over a thousand years ago. How are you here?" Elijah said, shock and pain apparent in his voice. "ANSWER ME LUKE!" Elijah yelled at the young man, whom had escorted Bonnie's sister to the ball only hours ago.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost Elijah…Or should I say, Father?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: All My Children**

The sun had not long risen over the town of Mystic Falls. The sun had washed away all the troubles of the night before. At the Gilbert household, there was not a sound could be heard all through the house, except for the bedroom of Elena Gilbert. Elena had just woke up and picked up her cell phone from the table by her bed. She looked through her contact list, and called Stefan. She and Stefan hadn't been the same for a while now, thanks to that ass-hat Original Hybrid Klaus. Not only had Klaus killed Elena, and as a result of her death and resurrection, Elena's biological father and adoptive uncle, John Gilbert, and he turned Elena's aunt Jenna into a vampire then killed her to break the Hybrid curse that was placed on him, but then he had taken Stefan away for 3 months with no contact with anyone in Mystic Falls, and when Stefan, Klaus and Klaus' psychotic younger sister, Rebekah, returned to Mystic Falls, Klaus compelled Stefan to turn off his humanity, resulting in the Ripper Salvatore to turn against the doppelganger beauty. Stefan was finally turning back into the almost functional vampire Elena had fallen in love with over a year ago. But it was a slow transformation. Stefan still had a long way to go before he could be trusted fully again.

Stefan woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He looked at the phone and saw it was Elena, and ignored the call. Elena hated when people did that, especially Stefan. So Elena just decided to leave him a message.

"Stefan, hey, umm… it's me, I really have to talk to you. Please call me back."

Elena hung up and called Damon. Damon was still in bed and rolled over to answer his phone.

"What?" Damon said groggily.

"Hey, I- I called you ten times last night. We need to talk." Elena said as she picked clothes out of her closet and began to get dressed.

"Sorry, I've been busy."

"If you're mad at me, Damon, you need to get over it."

"Oh, I'm over it." He hung up and lay back in bed, staring at Rebekah, who had spent the night the night before.

At the Salvatore Mansion Damon and Rebekah were doing the walk of shame. Rebekah's dress was ripped up the side, barely holding together.

"So, let's not make a big deal out of this."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Besides, I expect you'll come calling soon enough."

"Let's not hold our breath." Damon opened the door for Rebekah to leave, but Elena was standing outside. To say that Elena was shocked would be an understatement. Her eyes practically bulged out her head. After Rebekah was gone, Damon walked into the living room and was greeted with an angry Elena.

"Did you stop taking your vervain?"

"You think Rebekah had to compel me?"

"What's wrong with you? She tried to kill me less than forty eight hours ago."

"Can we just move pass that, Elena?"

"So is that how it's going to be now? I hurt your feelings and this is how you lash out at me?" Damon poured himself a drink.

"Well, maybe, for once, something I did had nothing to do with you."

"You should know that Esther is planning on killing her entire family. She's linked them all together with a spell. Whatever happens to one, happens to all of them."

"Well, that's great! Klaus will finally be dead. We win. Why do you look like someone just shot a panda bear?"

"Uh, because to kill Klaus she has to kill all of them, including Elijah. And he doesn't deserve this!"

"I'm supposed to care about Elijah?"

"Shouldn't you at least care about Rebekah."

"Two seconds ago, you were pissed that she attacked you. It's a win-win." Elena tried to leave but Damon blocked her way.

"Don't do anything to screw this up, Elena."

"Why are you doing this?" Stefan walked in with his signature scowl on his face.

"He's right, you know. Klaus has to die. They all do."

"See? It's democracy in action." Elena left, knocking into Damon on her way out, spilling his drink all over him.

At the Mikaelson Mansion, Elijah was walking around the study and found the burnt sage his mother used last night. Downstairs, Rebekah entered the living room, where Kol and Klaus were sitting.

"Well, well, well, there's our girl." Kol teased. He and Rebekah may have been twins, and they may have a lot in common in terms of their wrath and their temperament, but the way they teased each other to the point of violence was not healthy. Their teasing had once gone so far in fact, that Kol once spent 3 days with a dagger in his heart because he had teased Rebekah about the colour of the gown she had worn.

"Get out of my way, Kol."

"Out all night. What a scandal! I trust you did better than that commoner? Matt, was it?"

"If you don't shut your mouth, the next thing to come out of it will be your teeth." Klaus grinned at his siblings bickering. He had always found their fights amusing.

"Don't you start, Nik!"

"I didn't say anything."

"I'm bored. Our sister is a strumpet, but at least she's having fun. I need entertainment." Kol said as he threw himself onto the couch.

"What are you waiting for? Go on, have at it."

"It's not fun to go alone. Join me, Nik! It's the least you can do after sticking a dagger in my heart and driving the girl I loved into killing herself just to avoid having your lips on her neck." Klaus rolled his eyes at his brother. _Kol can never just let something go, can he?_ Klaus thought.

"Okay. Why not? I didn't have nearly enough to drink last night, what with you trying to murder Rebekah's date."

"Yes, please go, this house has enough men rolling around it in."

"Just like you, Bekah." Rebekah threw her shoe at Kol.

"Good riddance, both of you!" Elijah entered the room, still holding the burnt sage.

"Rebekah."

"Not you too, Elijah."

"I'm worried about mother. Have you not noticed her strange behaviour?"

"She's been dead for a thousand years. What's strange for her?"

"Burnt sage." Elijah showed Rebekah the sage and she took it from him. "She was doing a privacy spell."

"You know she fancies such things. Why don't you ask Finn? He's been doting on her."

"I don't trust, Finn. He hates what we are, he always has."

"That's not true. And as for mother, she returned for one reason, to make our family whole. She loves us. What trouble are you looking to find?"

"Rebekah, just watch her for me."

"Why? Why can't you just do it yourself?"

"Because I have some things to take care. I have to meet a friend." Elijah said cryptically. He had to go visit Luke, the young man that Bonnie's sister Shay had brought to the ball the night before. Luke was Elijah's son that he had fathered a year before he was turned into a vampire. Elijah had impregnated a girl from the village. But when he was turned, he and the other originals fled the village. But every year on the boy's birthday, Elijah returned to the village to see the boy. He did so every year until the boy was 15 and then Luke disappeared. When that happened, Elijah assumed that his son was killed by the werewolves as his younger brother Henrick had died 14 years before. Elijah had to find out why Luke was here in the 21st century, very much alive and looking like a 15 year old boy. At the Gilbert house, Jeremy, Elena and Bonnie, who was burning sage, were sitting in Elena's room. Elena was complaining about Damon."He was gloating. Like actual gloat. Like he was proud of himself for sleeping with her. Is it working?" Caroline walked into the room.

"It's not working. I can hear every word you're saying about Damon, the vampire gigolo."

"I don't know, it's a tricky spell."

"When Esther did it, she kept the sage burning. There was a lot more smoke."

"Alright." Bonnie relit the sage. "Try it again." Caroline scoffed and left the room again.

"Speaking of Esther, you should know that she came to see me and Abby this morning."

"And all this time you let me vent about Damon?"

"I don't want you to worry."

"Okay, well, what did she want?" Jeremy asked, concern apparent on his face.

"She wanted to introduce herself. Abby, Shay and I helped bring her back. She's channelling our entire ancestral bloodline for power. I think she thought she was being polite."

"Okay, well, is there a way to stop her from channelling you?"

"Even if there was, why would we want that?"

"I just keep thinking…. Before the sun and the moon ritual, Elijah found a way to keep me alive. And now I'm in the exact same position and I'm just gonna let him die? It just doesn't feel right." Caroline re-entered the room.

"Okay. First of all, this privacy spell is totally not working. Second. Elena, you are not doing this, Esther is doing this."

"There's no time to change your mind, Elena. He'll be dead by the end of the night."

"What?"

"It's a full moon. Esther needs to harness the energy of a celestial event. She asked me, Abby and Shay to join her."

At the Salvatore Boarding House, Damon entered the library with two glasses of blood. "Join me for a little victory drink?"

"Should wait until Klaus is dead."

"Why are you so extra broody? Did you see the way we stood up to Elena? I like you on my team. Must have driven her nuts."

"You still think she's gonna screw this up, don't you?"

"I think somebody needs to talk to her. She's not gonna listen to anything I say."

"Is it because of your little sleepover?"

"It's not my fault she decided to get jealous."

"Well, given who you chose to sleep with, I would say it's 100 percent your fault."

"Whatever. Did you a favour. Now you can come in and sweep her off her feet."

"Nah. She's better off without me. Sure as hell better off without you."

"Fine. Neither one of us gets her. Just make sure she doesn't screw up Esther's plan."

Damon walked away, leaving a glass of blood for Stefan. Stefan looked at it for a minute, then turned away without touching it.

Across town at an old abandoned house, a beam of light led down the steps into a small derelict room. Shay Bennett sat on the floor with an old grimoir in front of her. Footsteps began to sound from above the young witch and she looked up and saw the figure of a young man approaching her.

"Shay, I got your message" A voice said in a British accent.

"Luke, what took you so long?"

"I was a little busy when you called. So my Grandmother came to you?"

"Yeah, she wanted my family's help."

"With what?"

"That's the thing, she wants us to help us kill your family."

"They are not my family."

"As much as you wish to dismiss them Luke, they are in fact your family as much as your mother"

"I have to go Shay, I need to meet Elijah. Cut to the chase."

"She wants me Bonnie and my mom to help her with a spell tonight to turn them human in order for her to kill them."

"It won't work Shay. You need to stop it from happening."

"Why? I thought you wanted to bring them down?"

"I do, but I want to do it MY way."

"There may be something that I can do. Leave it with me." Shay said, and Luke walked away from her, heading out of the room. He stopped and turned around.

"You better do it Shay! I didn't come this far to let someone else kill them first." Luke said before turning back around and walking out the room.

At the Gilbert house, there was a knock on the door. Elena walked down stairs and answered it. Elijah was outside.

"Elena." Elijah said with a half smile on his face.

"Elijah."

"I don't mean to intrude. I was hoping you might accompany me. I want to show you something." Across town in the woods, Elena and Elijah get out of Elijah's car and walked around.

"I Forgot how much I missed this land."

"I can't even imagine what it must have been like a thousand years ago."

"You know, your school was built over an Indian village. Where I saw my first werewolf. The town square was where the natives would gather to worship. Matter of fact, near that, there was a field where wild horses use to graze."

"That's incredible."

"Come."

"Do you know this place too?"

"I do. Below us is a cavern I use to play in as a boy. Connects to a system of tunnels that stretch across the entire area. Perhaps it's nature's way of providing us with shelter against the savagery of the full moon. My mother said there must be a balance."

"Elijah, I should probably go home."

"I admire you, Elena. You remind me of qualities I valued long before my mother turned us. It's not in your nature to be deceitful and yet when I asked about your meeting with my mother the other night, you lied to my face."

"That's not true. I told you that all your mother wanted was a new start."

"I can hear you heartbeat. It jumps when you're being dishonest with me. You lied to me at the ball, you are lying to me now. Tell me the truth."

"I never wanted this to happen."

"What, Elena?"

"We were told that whatever was going to be in that coffin was going to kill Klaus. When we found out that it was your mother…. We didn't know what to think."

"Since her return she says she only wants this family whole again."

"When she asked to see me, I… I thought that maybe she could help. That she would find a way to kill Klaus. It's not just Klaus that she wants to kill."

"She wants to kill us all, doesn't she? She wants to undo the evil she created."

"I'm so sorry, Elijah. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"You know what Elena, I want you to leave, go home and I will call you if I need your assistance." Elena turned and went to leave.

"I'm sorry Elijah. I really am" Elijah shook his head and sped off. Elena turned around and Rebekah was stood in front of her.

"Rebekah?"

"My brother may be noble, but I'm not!" Rebekah kicked the ground, smashing the ground and making a massive hole, she grabbed Elena and jumped down the hole, holding the doppelganger. Elena got up and looked around but Rebekah was gone. Elena was trying to get a signal on her cell phone to no avail.

At the Salvatore Boarding house, Damon was on the phone with Alaric.

"I haven't seen Elena since this morning." Alaric said.

"Well she's not answering her phone."

"Well, I'm surprise you have time to call, what with all this Original sex you've been having."

"Ugh… she told you?!"

"Oh, she told me." "Oh, really? Did she also tell you that she's having an attack of conscience about this whole Original murder thing?"

"Hey, listen, I'm not gonna judge her for having a conscience."

"Well, you don't have to judge her. Just tie her up, lock her in her room, till this is over."

"Well, I wouldn't if I could and I can't because I'm busy."

"Busy doing what?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Are you with the sexy, psycho doctor?"

"Goodbye, Damon." Alaric hung up the phone. Damon turned around and saw the blood of glass he gave to Stefan earlier. It was still full.

At the Mystic Grill, Alaric and Meredith were sitting at the bar.

"Sorry about that."

"Does he still think I'm a serial killer?"

"He's a little judgmental."

"Speaking of. Your x-rays were inconclusive. Your knife wound was already semi-healed. It's impossible to tell anything about whoever stabbed you. Short, tall. Left-handed, right-handed. No clue."

"Well, what about my head? Why can't I remember anything about the attack?"

"Your CT scans were clear. Maybe you were compelled to forget."

"Wait… you think the killer's a… a vampire?"

"There are no other suspects. It's the obvious conclusion."

Kol and Klaus walked up to the bar.

"Oh come on now. Let's not go blaming the new family in town just because you lot have got yourselves a killer at large. Don't mind us. My brother and I are just here to let off some steam, right Kol?"

"Right." Kol said, rolling his eyes and turning away from Klaus. Even if Kol was out drinking with Klaus, he still hated his brother, but he was bored. And Rebekah was being a total floozy with half the mongrel vampires of Mystic Falls, he feared he would catch an STD by proxy. And Elijah was off doing God knows what with God knows who, and Kol would rather rip out his own heart than spend time with Finn. So Klaus would have to do.

At the Abandoned Witch House, Abby, Shay and Bonnie were walking up to the mansion.

"Who's the creepy, lurky guy?"

"Esther's son, Finn, he's a vampire so.." Bonnie pointed to her ear to indicate he could hear her.

"Wonder what your Grams thinks about the part we're playing in all of this balance of nature stuff."

"She's probably on the other side, screaming about getting involved with vampire business."

"Bennett witches. Thank you for coming. I can think of no better allies than the woman who sent Mikael into his long sleep and the girl who fought Niklaus so bravely."

"What about me? What'd I do?" Shay asked, but Esther ignored her.

"Why exactly did you invite us here?" Abby said trying to change the subject.

"You are the descendants of the witch Ayana. She was a great mentor of mine and I think it's only fitting that I draw from her bloodline."

"So are you channelling our ancestors?" Shay asked.

"I draw from the entirety of the Bennett bloodline, living and dead. The connection affords me great power, although it is somewhat difficult to maintain, which is why I require you, mother and daughters. The bloodline made manifest. Tonight, my sisters, we shall bring peace to the spirits of nature that we serve and for that I thank you."

In the underground cavern, Elena was walking around, trying to find a way out. She thought she saw a way when Rebekah reappeared, blocking her escape.

"Going somewhere?"

"What am I doing here?"

"I told you before, I get my temper from my father."

"Does Elijah or Klaus know you have me here? What are you planning to do?"

"Yes Elijah knows I have you, and I'm not planning much. Unless you try to run. In which case, I get to kill you." Rebekah said with a smirk.

At the Salvatore boarding house, Stefan entered the house. He had been out looking for Elena, but couldn't find her anywhere.

"I can't find her anywhere." He walked into the living room and saw Elijah sitting by the fire, talking to Damon.

"Hello, Stefan."

"He has Elena."

"Actually, she's with Rebekah. As you can imagine, my sister is just dying to tear her throat out. So… if you want to save Elena's life, I need you to help me stop my mother."

"I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but when it comes to killing thousand year old resurrected witches, I'm a little rusty."

"Yes, unfortunately, even when killed my mother doesn't seem to want to stay dead." Elijah said dryly. _Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the White Oak Tree_ Damon thought, but didn't say. "Not with the spirits of nature at her side."

"So, what are we supposed to do?"

"The witches that released my mother, she's drawing her power from their bloodline, that line needs to be broken."

"Broken?"

"Yeah, he means." Damon made a cutting motion with his forefinger over his neck.

"You want us to kill them."

"You know I'd do it myself, but I have absolutely no idea where they are. Besides, seeing me, they'd immediately know my intent. They won't expect to be harmed by the likes of you. In any case, you have until six minutes after nine to find them."

"Oh, how super specific of you."

"By 9:07, the moon will be full, my mother will have the power she needs to kill me and my family. If you do not stop her before then, Rebekah will kill Elena. So we all have our timeline? I suggest you get started."

In the Underground Cavern, Rebekah was recording Elena on her cell phone.

"Alright, love, now look into the camera."

"What are you doing?"

"Shooting a picture to inspire your boyfriends. Why don't you tell them how delightful it is being stuck in a hole with your biggest fan?"

"I guess you think I had this coming, huh? After what I did to you?"

"You know, I don't know what I want more, to find out we're saved or to find out it's alright to kill you."

"This isn't my fault. I wanted to get rid of Klaus, Not you or your other brothers. At one point, so did you. I didn't know that your mom was planning on killing all of you."

"Do you think I want to spend what could be the last few hours of my life having idle chit-chat with a girl who literally stabbed me in the back? Of course not! But for some reason, everybody seems to want to bend over backwards to save your life, which is incredibly annoying, but makes you the perfect hostage. So, why don't you sit down and shut up before I ruin everything by ripping your head off."

At the Mikaelson Mansion, Elijah was standing looking through a book when the door opened. He spun around to see the intruder but it was his son.

"Hello Elijah"

"Luke, how nice it is to see you again" Elijah said as he tried to hug his son.

"Spare me the crap father, I do not wish to hear it."

"Alright, if that is to be the way it is, what are you doing back here Luke? How are you alive?"

"I'm not alive. Haven't been for a thousand years. I was turned into a vampire in the very same manner you and your siblings were turned. And was trained by your father, my grandfather, to stop Niklaus. But after Mikael trained me, he drove a dagger through my heart and left me to lie for over 800 years"

"So you are also an Original?"

"Indeed I am."

"Well are you bound to us also?"

"No, I'm not, I did not drink the champagne during the toast, thus I am not bound to you." Luke was contemplating telling Elijah that he had a Bennett Witch on his side, but he didn't wish to explain everything so he decided against it.

"If you are not bound then maybe you can help me with something."

In the Salvatore Boarding house basement, Stefan was looking in the freezer where the blood bags were kept. He pulled one out and looked at it and opens it, when Damon walked into the room.

"Clock's ticking. You gonna help me brainstorm a plan or are you too busy fixing yourself a snack?"

"We need to call Bonnie. There's got to be a way for her to stop Esther from channelling all that power."

"A. What if she's with Esther? B. What if she can't cut her off? C. I don't know how any of this stuff works and D. neither do you!"

"You got a better plan?"

"Worst case scenario, simple mechanics. Can't draw power from a dead battery."

"Kill them."

"If it comes to that." Stefan was still holding the blood bag. Damon took it, drank, and handed it back to Stefan.

"There's got to be another way."

"Well, what if I told you I had a less diabolical plan." He held up the silver dagger.

"You want to dagger Elijah."

"They're all linked. One goes down, they all go down. The witches live, Elena's safe, problem solved." "We don't know if that'll effect Klaus."

"Ironically, Klaus isn't our current problem."

"Dagger is lethal to any vampire who uses it."

"Well, I just so happen to know someone crazy enough to give it a shot."

At the Grill, Alaric was on the phone with Damon.

"Yeah, no, they're still here. Yeah, they've drank their way through half the grill's liquor supply."

"Good. It'll be easier if they're wasted."

"So, what's the plan?"

"Divide and conquer. First, we'll need a little blond distraction."

Caroline entered the Grill, as if on cue. Alaric hung up. Caroline and him exchanged a look.

Kol smirked, pointing at Caroline. "I remember her from last night. She looks like a tasty little thing."

"Say another word and I'll tear out your liver. Caroline!"

"Oh, it's you."

"Join us for a drink?"

"Mmm, I'd rather die of thirst. But thanks." Caroline walked out the door.

"Isn't she stunning?" Klaus asked.

"She certainly looks good walking away from you."

"I'll take that as a challenge." Klaus got up, downed his drink and walked after Caroline. Kol rolled his eyes and turned around in his seat, making eye contact with the barman-Jeremy- and Kol smiled, Jeremy just looked away from the Original.

Outside the Grill, Klaus walked out the door, and Caroline smiled to herself.

"Caroline!" Klaus ran after Caroline, almost getting run over by a car in the process.

"Are you serious? Take a hint."

" Don't be angry, love. We had a little spat. I'm over it already."

"Ah, well, I'm not."

"How can I quit myself?"

"You and your expensive jewellery and your romantic drawings can leave me alone."

"Oh, come on, take a chance, Caroline." Klaus sat down on a bench. "Talk to me. Come on, get to know me. I dare you."

"Fine." She sat down next to him. "So, what do you wanna talk about?"

"I want to talk about you. Your hopes, your dreams, everything you want in life."

"Just to be clear, I'm too smart to be seduced by you."

"Well, that's why I like you."

Back inside the Grill, Jeremy was wiping down the bar when Kol waved his hand, signalling the bartender to come over to him.

"What?" Jeremy asked dryly.

"Now, is that any way to talk to a paying customer?" Kol asked, feigning hurt.

"Well today was supposed to be my day off, but thanks to you breaking Matt's hand last night, I'm stuck here, serving you."

"Well I am very sorry for that, but in my defence, I'm a little bit psychotic." Kol said, flashing Jeremy a big smile.

"Seriously? You're more than a little psychotic-you're a complete lunatic."

"Well what can I say? My reputation proceeds me." Kol said with a wink. Jeremy shook his head, and looked around, making eye contact with Alaric- who pointed to his phone, telling Jeremy to check his.

"Um…I'll be right back." Jeremy said, walking through the back, to check his phone.

_**Get him to flirt with Meredith…or you'll work if need be, and get him to the pool table. Damon has a plan, just go with it! - Alaric**_ "Seriously Ric?" Jeremy said walking back out onto the bar floor.

"Is there a problem mate?" Kol said with a smirk. _This can't be happening Jeremy thought_. Jeremy put on a fake smile and walked to Kol, trying to hide his disgust at the thought of an Original flirting with him.

Outside the abandoned witch house, Finn was lighting torches around a pentagram.

"The pentagram represents our connection to magic. The salt is a symbol of the Earth."

"The torches?"

"Five torches. One for each of my children."

"What's the spell you're doing?"

"As the witch who cast the spell that made them vampires, I can also reverse it. When they become human again, they can be killed. As they are linked as one, my brave Finn will be the sacrifice. With his death, will come theirs."

"And you're just willing to die?" Shay asked. _Crap, Luke isn't gonna be happy._

"My mother has released me from an eternity of shame. It's not a sacrifice, it's a gift."

Shay took out her cell phone and text Luke.

At the Mikaelson mansion, Luke and Elijah were sitting in the study still talking when Luke's phone beeped and he looked down at it.

_**Esther's gonna make them human, then kill them…what do I do? **_Luke looked up from his phone and made eye contact with his father.

"I need to tell you something Elijah." Elijah eyed him suspiciously, but nodded his the Grill, Kol was watching Jeremy walking around lifting glasses from tables, putting them into the basin.

"So, enlighten me Jeremy, why did you decided to work here of all places?" Kol asked walking up to Jeremy.

"I'm sixteen, where do you expect me to work?" Jeremy asked dryly. Kol just smiled.

"Anywhere but here. Now, please tell me, why did you and the Bennett witch split up?"

"None of your business." Jeremy said getting angry at the Original.

"Why don't we start again? Hello I'm Kol Mikaelson."

"Why don't you get lost, Kol Mikaelson? Don't you have a brother or sister to irritate?"

"And why would I do that? I'd rather be here with you." Kol said, winking at Jeremy._ Am I really that bored? I'm flirting with that doppelganger wench's little brother? _Kol thought to himself. Kol walked towards Jeremy and touches his face. Jeremy scoffed and batted the hand away.

"I'm pretty sure he told you to get lost." Alaric said walking up behind Kol.

"I'm pretty sure I don't care." Kol turned around and faced Alaric. Alaric stabbed him with the silver dagger.

"Next time, take a hint." Jeremy opened the door and Meredith was standing outside waiting.

"Ric, out there, quick before someone sees." Jeremy and Ric started dragging Kol's body out the door.

In the underground cavern, Rebekah began to choke, and turn gray. She fell down dead. Elena's eyes went wide, and she ran passed her and made her escape.

Outside the witch house, Finn too, died and fell to the ground.

"Something's wrong."

At the Mikaelson mansion, Elijah was walking back to his seat with two glasses of wine, when he too turned grey and died. Luke jumped up and ran to his father.

"Those idiots!" Luke groaned.

Outside the grill, Klaus got up and put his hand on his heart. Caroline, fully aware of what was happening, pretended she was concerned.

"What is it?"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing." Klaus grabbed Caroline forcefully.

"What did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything. Stop it!"

"Kol!" Klaus said and sped off.

Alaric dragged Kol into an alleyway. Stefan and Damon were waiting for him.

"Here, grab him!"

"Tell your sexy doctor, good work."

"Wasn't the sexy doctor" Ric said cryptically. Klaus appeared, undaggered Kol and knocked Alaric against the wall. Stefan tried to attack Klaus but Klaus knocked him out too.

"I should have killed you months ago."

"Do it. It's not going to stop Esther from killing you."

"What did you say about my mother?"

"You didn't know I was friends with your mummy? Yeah, we have a lot in common. She hates you as much as I do." Klaus was about to attack Damon when Elijah appeared.

"Leave him! We still need them, Niklaus."

"What did mother do? What did she do, Elijah?" Elijah walked towards Damon, holding a phone.

"You tell me where the witches are or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now."

"You told me we had until after nine."

"I'm sure Rebekah will be more than happy to start her work early."

In the underground cavern, Rebekah got up from the floor and saw Elena is missing. Elena was running throughout the tunnels, trying to escape.

"You can't hide, Elena!" Elena tripped and fell. "Not sure why I'm feeling under the weather. Must be your boys trying to find a loophole. Won't matter, I could chase you down on my worst day." Elena got up and got to the entrance of the cave with the Native American drawings. Rebekah grabbed her from behind. "Boo!" Elena head-butt her and jumped into the cave. "You little bitch!" Rebekah tried to enter the cave but couldn't. "What is this?"

"Sorry. No vampires allowed."

At Meredith's apartment, Meredith was getting an ice pack from the fridge for Alaric and pushed him back down into a chair.

"No, no, no, no."

"Listen, Elena's still out there. I need to go find her."

"Shut up, stay seated, you might have a concussion." Ric looked around, and noticed the apartment was a total mess.

"So this is your place, huh? Kind of a slob."

"Housekeeping is not high on my priority list."

"I see that."

"Look at me." She pointed a light into his eyes. "Pupil response is normal. You might have a broken rib."

"That kind of sucks, getting my ass kicked on a date."

"That's what you get. Picking fights with guys thirty times your age."

"Yeah."

"Rest. Damon and Stefan are going to take care of Elena. I am going to take care of you."

Alaric took Meredith's hand and smiled.

Near the abandoned witch house, Damon and Stefan pulled up into the woods in Damon's car.

"So how do we know they're going to be at the old witch house?"

"We don't. But if they're not, then we have about ten minutes until Rebekah tears Elena apart."

"You know, if we sit this out, Esther completes her spell, Klaus dies, you get your revenge. It's what you wanted the whole time. The only collateral damage is…."

"Elena."

"You know what she'd choose."

"She'd let herself be killed to save her friend."

"Yep."

"Hm. If we do this, it'll wreck her."

"Well, she'll hate us. Thing is, she only has to hate one of us. Only one of us has to do the actual deed."

"So, who's it gonna be, brother?"

Damon pulled out a coin.

"Heads I do it, tails you do it."

"Awful lot of effort for someone who pretends not to care about her anymore."

"Pot, kettle, brother." Damon said flipping the coin.

In the cave, Elena turned on a flashlight and searched for an exit.

"Elena! Let's pick it up where we left off." Rebekah was holding a canister filled with gasoline. She threw some on Elena.

"What are you doing?" Rebekah poured more gasoline around the rest of the cave.

"Thought I'd shake things up a bit."

"Are you insane?"

"I prefer spontaneous. It's probably why Damon likes me so much." Rebekah threw the canister at Elena. Elena ducked in time and the canister hit the back wall instead. Rebekah pulled out a match. "Here's what's gonna happen." She lit the match and threw it into the cave, starting a fire. "You're gonna come outside." She lit another match and threw it into the cave. "Or you're going to stay in there and burn." The fire fizzled out. "The next match is landing on you. So, Elena, how does it feel to know that these may be your last moments?" Rebekah began recording Elena with a phone.

"I don't know, you tell me. You're the one whose mother's trying to kill you."

"You should be very careful what you say to me."

"You're still wearing her necklace."

"Do you want it? Is that your last request?" She ripped the necklace off and threw it in the cave. "Here. It's all yours."

"She's not doing this because she hates you, Rebekah. She told me that she… she just doesn't have another choice."

"Spare me your pity, Elena. We're not girlfriends. Want me to prove it? Just say the word." She lit another match.

"You're not gonna do it."

"And why is that?"

"Because there's still a chance that you might be alive tomorrow. And if that's the case and you kill me now, you'll have used up all of your revenge. Wasted it and isn't that what you want? Revenge? Because I- I pretended to like you and then I stuck a dagger in your back. I mean, that's why you slept with Damon, isn't it? That's why you're tormenting me, because I hurt your feelings." The match burned out, Rebekah dropped it.

"The tough act doesn't suit you."

"I never said I was tough. But we both know that I'm right."

Outside the witch house. Finn closed his eyes. He could hear his brothers coming quickly towards him."They're coming, Mother!"

"No, it's too soon, the moon is not high enough. Go! Quickly!" Bonnie, Shay and Abby retreated into the house. Kol, Elijah, and Klaus appeared.

"My sons, come forward."

"Stay beside me, Mother."

"It's okay. They can't enter."

"That's lovely. We're stuck out here, while the favourite son plays sacrificial lamb. How pathetic you are, Finn." Kol said with a scowl on his face.

"Be quiet, Kol. Your brother knows virtue you cannot even imagine."

"Whatever you think of us, killing your own children will be an atrocity."

"My only regret is that I did not let you die a thousand years ago."

"Enough. All this talk is boring me. End this now, Mother, or I'll send you back to Hell."

"For a thousand years, I've been forced to watch you. Felt the pain of every victim, suffered while you shed blood. Even you, Elijah, with your claim to nobility, you're no better. All of you. You're a curse on this Earth. Stretched out over generations. If you've come to plead for your life, I'm sorry, you've wasted your time."

Inside the witch house, Shay and Bonnie ran quickly, whilst Abby trailed behind.

"This place has some serious vibe in it."

"The witch spirits will protect us from the Originals, but we should get into the basement." Bonnie walked down into the basement, but Shay and Abby didn't follow. "Shay? Abby?" Stefan appeared. "Stefan? What's going on?"

"They took Elena. They're going to kill her unless we stop Esther."

"Stefan, I- I can't stop her. She's channelling us!"

"Bonnie, if you can't stop her. I have to find another way."

"No… Stefan, no." Bonnie tried to escape but Ste

fan blocked her way.

"What are you gonna do? Even if you kill us, Esther is channelling every witch in our ancestry, living and dead."

"Esther's drawing from the witches. The only way to cut her off is if one of you is no longer a witch." Shay ran to the attic, where Luke was standing waiting.

"Have you done what you needed to do?" Shay asked. Luke turned around and smirked.

"Not exactly, however Elijah had the solution to my predicament"

Just outside the basement, Damon grabbed Abby, bit his wrist and fed her his blood.

"This will only hurt a second." Damon killed Abby.

Outside the house. Esther could feel the link being severed. "No! Sisters! Do not abandon me!"

"Mother!" Finn grabbed Esther and they disappeared. The torches flared up and died out. Elijah, Klaus, and Kol stood around in shock.

In the underground cavern, Elena was sitting on the floor.

"You can come out now. Seems your boys took care of the problem."

"How did they do that?"

"Damon turned your witch friend's mother into a vampire."

"What?"

"Quite clever, actually. They needed to sever the witch line and, well, you can't be a witch and a vampire. In any case, you're free to go. Oh and, uh, by the way, you were right. I do prefer taking my time watching you suffer. Much more satisfying."

At the Mystic Grill, Jeremy was getting ready to close up, when the door opened and Kol walked in.

"Now what?" Jeremy asked upon seeing the Original.

"You know, what you did to me this evening was not very nice!" Kol said calmly. Jeremy shook his head and laughed.

"It wasn't supposed to be nice, we just wanted to save my sister."

"I understand that, I would have done the same for Bekah.""Well then, why are you still here?" Jeremy asked rudely.

"Because I have a proposition for you"

"What now?"

"I've been around for a thousand years, and it has occurred to me that I haven't had anyone to confide in except for my family for over 500 years, I may act like I don't care about anything, but I do, and I need someone whom I can trust. I need a friend"

"Wait, let me get this straight, you…A thousand year old Original vampire, wants me, a 16 year old brother of the doppelganger, to be his friend?"

"Well, yes."

"Why me? I mean, there are like a million vampires around the world, and I'm a human who has no interest in having anything to do with you."

"I have to admit, that very thing has occurred to me, however I have no interest in other vampires. And you intrigue me, and I find myself wondering why that is, I would like to find out what that is."

"You know what, fine. We can start a friendship, as long as it stays platonic. Because your flirting earlier, seriously grossed me out." Jeremy said with a smile on his face. Kol just laughed.

"That wasn't flirting, that was boredom. But you have yourself a deal Jeremy."

At Caroline's house, Abby was in bed. Bonnie was holding her hand and crying. Caroline was at the front door, talking to Elena.

"She doesn't want to see you."

"Please, just let me talk to her."

"Abby's in transition. It's going to be really hard over the next few days and if Bonnie needs some time to deal then I think you should give it to her."

"She's always been there for me, Caroline. Please. Let me just be there for her too."

"I'm sorry, Elena. I know that you want to help, but put yourself in her shoes. Everything that happened tonight was to save you and that's okay because she loves you. So much. But somehow she's always the one who gets hurt."

"You know, you're right. I just – just tell her that I love her, okay? (Elena starts to cry.)

"Of course I will." Elena walked away. Bonnie was standing in the hallway, crying too.

At the Salvatore boarding house, Damon was in the bathroom, washing his hands. Stefan was in the bedroom.

"Is she safe?"

"Elijah kept his word. Rebekah let her go."

"Good. All's right in the world again."

"I lost that coin toss, Damon. It should have been me who turned Abby. Why did you do it?"

"Cause I'm not blind. I see what's been going on around here. You're hanging by a thread, Stefan. Barely over your last ripper binge and all you want is to be the old Stefan again."

"Hmm. That part of me is gone for good."

"Oh yeah? How long has it been since you've had a drop of human blood?"

"How'd you know?"

"Spend 146 years with someone, you kind of start to pick up on their tails. Answer the question. How long has it been since your last drink?"

"Since the night I threatened to drive Elena off the Wickery Bridge."

"See? You have enough to feel guilty about! Why add to the list? By the way, you're welcome."

"You know, you're not fooling anyone either. You still love her, Damon."

"I do. And I thought I could win her from you fair and square. She didn't want me. It's for the best. I'm better at being the bad guy anyway." Damon left the room.

At the Gilbert house, Elena walked into her room and picked up a letter on her bed from Elijah. She opened it and read.

"Elena, today I did things I abhor to protect the one thing I value most. My family. If anyone can understand that, it's you. Your compassion is a gift, Elena. Carry it with you. As I will carry my regret. Always and forever. Elijah."

At the Mikaelson mansion, Rebekah walked into the study. Elijah was staring out the window.

"Where the bloody hell is everyone?"

"It's over, Rebekah."

"Where's mother?"

"We have no mother. Only Esther and Esther was right."

"What do you mean?"

"My talk of virtue. When it suits my needs, I kill, maim, and torment. Even today, I terrorized an innocent."

"Elena Gilbert is hardly innocent."

"And I used your hatred of her to get what I wanted. Wielded you like I would a sword. My sister."

"You did it to protect us, Elijah, and rightly so! We deserve to live! We are better than they are."

"Are we? Mother made us vampires. She didn't make us monsters, we did that to ourselves." Elijah left the room leaving Rebekah alone. She waited for a minute, trying to contemplate what just happened, then she walked towards the parlour, where Klaus was, burning the pictures he drew of Caroline. Rebekah entered the room.

"I thought you'd have gone by now. Elijah's leaving. Esther and Finn are gone too. And Kol is God knows where."

"Kol is at the Grill, I don't know why, but he's not going anywhere. You know, I hated you when I learned you killed our mother. But I realize now that after a thousand years together as a family, you're the only one who never left me."

"Well, I'll be your pair."

"There's something I need you to see." Rebekah pulled out her phone and showed Klaus the video of Elena she took.

"Come to brag about your skills as a torturer."

"Look at the images on the wall behind Elena. The Natives told the story of our family history, look at the images on the far wall."

"What is it?"

"A Native worshipping at the Great White Oak tree."

"And? We burned that tree to the ground."

"Look at the markings that precede it. That's the native calendar."

"This can't be right."

"A White Oak tree, 300 years after we fled back to the Old World. There must have been a sapling, a new tree to replace the old. That tree could kill us. It's not over, Nik."

At Meredith's apartment, Alaric woke up and headed to the kitchen to get some medication. A folder with Bill Forbes name caught his eye and he rifled through it. There was crime scene evidence in it. He looked at the other victim's folder as well and found one of his knifes wrapped in a cloth. He heard the trigger of a gun being pulled. Meredith was aiming the gun at him.

"You weren't supposed to see that." She shots at him, and everything went black for Alaric Saltzman.


End file.
